


How to tame an Outlaw

by kjp815



Category: Robin Hood (BBC 2006), Robin Hood - All Media Types
Genre: Character Death, Eventual Romance, F/M, Past Lives, Platonic Relationships, Robin Hood References, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 11:54:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19440952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kjp815/pseuds/kjp815
Summary: Home; It was a foreign concept to her. Elaine wasn't even sure she'd be able to enjoy the comforts home offered. She'd heard the tales of cosy fires, a warm shoulder to lean on and laughing so hard your belly ached. For so long she'd roamed Sherwood Forest alone - an outlaw and a thief. Finally, on April 26th 1192 she found a spoilt lord, a rogue outlaw and a tavern trickster. All she knew was an Outlaw cannot be tamed.





	1. In the Beginning

### Introduction

A/N hello all!

This fanfiction has taken me forever to write. Technically like 6 years if you consider that this is a re-write from my original version of the story on my account under the username 'knarl'. Basically, I had so much other stuff I wanted to write but once I start something I have to finish it and I couldn't continue my last version of this story because it was seriously badly written. So hence me starting again.

I'll be uploading every Sunday and I've already written the whole of season 1 and some of season 2 so I'm hoping I won't fall behind (and there's like 160,000 words of season 1 so plenty of uploads/chapters for me to get through season 2)

If you've never read my original version of this story before. Good! Because it sucks. Don't read it. But I've added a really long introduction to my OC Elaine Walker to this fic and it's a lot of chapters. I know a lot of readers aren't big into reading backstories of characters and that's totally cool so once I've uploaded the part when we're onto the actual story I'll let you know what chapter to start on and I'll add a small background information at the start of the chapter.

I'm honestly not expecting anyone to read this fic really, the Robin Hood fandom is so small, almost non-existent, so I'm keeping this in mind and I'm writing this purely for the fact that I love my OC. Elaine was the first character I ever really created and fleshed out and this story is there to do her justice and prove a point to myself that I can write a decent character and story if I focus hard enough. This is why I've focused so much attention to her.

Whilst this is a fic that mostly follows the main storyline… that's also boring so I'm going to be changing a few things here and there but most the changes I make will be because of Elaine's presence in the story.

Hope you enjoy folks!

# Chapter 1:

#### The year 1184

The trees in the far distance separated the sun landing on the ground. The branches illuminated with light on the far side, creating a silhouette from where Elaine saw it from the window of their small hut. It was beautiful, but she wished she could see it from much higher – where she could see the sun touch the ground.

"Again?" Her father tapped the book in front of him. A croak in his voice.

A groan escaped her throat as she looked down at the shaped letters in front of her, "I don't know," She insisted, "it's too hard."

"You do know," Her father said, "You've read it before correct."

"W… w-er-werum… h… hom?"

"Whom. It says whom."

"I don't know."

"Yes you… do…" water began to drip from the edge of her father's eyes and he collapsed into a coughing fit. Rolling over to one side, he felt around for a cloth but with his eyes squinted shut couldn't find one. Quickly, Elaine reached round to help him and tucked a cloth in his hands. Lurched over, his shaggy beard jumped up and down as he coughed and when he pulled the cloth away, she spied a spot of blood.

"Are you okay?"

"I will be if you stop torturing me with and stop resisting to learn," He chuckled, tapping the book again, "Try and say the sentence again."

"Why?" Elaine stubbornly turned from the book and noticed her sister in the corner plaiting her hair and weaving flowers throughout it. She didn't know why. There was no festival in Clun tonight and mother always warned about going outside after dark. Was she going to bed with the flowers in? That would just be stupid.

"Come on Sweetness, I've told you before," He urged. His eyes growing red and Elaine sensed another coughing fit approaching, "If you learn to read and write you'll be in a much better position in the world."

"It didn't help you, though did it?" She mumbled but her father still heard her.

It got her out of reading, however, as her father spent the next half an hour lecturing her on respect. The telling off only ended when the creaky door opened and her mother in. Her knees bent awkwardly as she limped in, clutching a bucket that sloshed with water as she bumped it against her leg.

"Mother!" Meghan jumped up, her braid falling out of her hair and a trail of flowers following her.

"Did you go get water?" Elaine asked, "I already got some earlier today."

"Elaine." Her mother replied sharply, "I told you never go to the well on your own. It's far too dangerous."

"I didn't go alone," Elaine insisted, "I took Meg with me."

"You took Meghan with you!"

Clun wasn't the safest village. The furthest town from Nottingham city and the least guarded meant it was easy thievery for outlaws – Elaine shivered at the thought. She'd never seen one before; their house stood in the centre of Clun and had yet to be robbed, but Elaine had heard tales of the outlaw's monstrosity. She pictured them with bulging eyes and yellow crooked teeth and patchy skin. She hoped to never meet one to find out.

It was due to this that her mother constantly nagged her two daughters that it was far too dangerous for a lady to step beyond the village fence, and the local well was just beyond that point. Although, as Elaine kept reminded her… she was no lady, but her mother always insisted 'she was to her.'

"Everything was fine," Elaine maintained, taking the bucket from her struggling mother and setting it on the side but accidently spilt some of the water from the bucket as she tripped over her sisters sewing materials, "Meg, bloody hell how many times do I have to tell you to pick these up."

"Just once more," Meg smiled brightly

"Do you need anything else?" Elaine asked, turning back to her parents. In the dying light their white faces looked more ghostly than ever and their age marked onto their skin. "Anything."

This is my fault, she thought as her mother soaked a cloth and limped over to her father, draping it over his head. Their thin bones told her that they had been giving up food to Meghan and herself for months, so they wouldn't starve. It was the same everywhere. Families struggling to survive, their mouths dry and bellies growing for anything they can shove down. As soon as her father fell ill, they were doomed, and her mother grew ill trying to make up the money for their fathers' income.

Soon, Elaine heard the distant snooze of her Sister resting against their father, one hand comically dropped into the watering bucket and the other brushing against their father's side. She hadn't been sleeping well – Elaine knew this – her little sister, at the young age of twelve, always let the world's problems rest on her shoulders and their parent's illness had taken a huge toll on them.

Eventually Elaine found relief in slumber as she closed her eyes to the world and its many problems.

Their father died two nights later, Meghan finding his still body the following morning and woke the whole of Clun village up with an ear-splitting scream. Their mother's eyes shut forever a few days later, but not before she passed Elaine a small rock. Elaine held it delicately in her fingers, as there was a jagged edge she was scared she would cut herself on, but her mother enclosed it in her hands and she could feel the surprising smooth texture of the rock. One side had a glistening edge. The sandy coloured rock matched the colour of her skin.

"My mother – your grandmother - once told me a legend about how if you pick up a rock or a pebble, you are carrying a piece of the earth with you every step you take – and if you have the earth on your side, nothing can harm you and luck will always be on your side," Her mother breathed through ragged breaths. Elaine didn't truly believe some rock had magical power that could bring you luck wherever you went. If it were true, her mother wouldn't be struggling for breath. Nevertheless, when her hand was released, she placed the rock at the bottom of her pocket, vowing to never let it leave her side.

"It'll be alright," Elaine, the older of the two, held tightly to her sister as Meghan sobbed as their mothers body rested in front of them. Elaine tried not to cry herself, to remain strong for her sister who was far too innocent to understand the full extent of death. Eventually she gave into the steady flow of tears as their parent's bodies were dragged away in a cart. The sisters held onto one another.

They had no one else left but each other.

"I'm sorry girls," Joderic – the dreaded tax collector - stepped from his horse, three days later. For a summer morning the air turned cold and stale as he appeared with half a dozen guards lined up behind him, "I truly am, but as the law states I cannot continue to let you live here if you cannot pay. Elaine and Meghan Walker, is it?"

Prepared for this, she knew they wouldn't be able to live here for much longer. With no money she had spent days travelling to every nearby village for work. As Joderic now stood before them, she had to swallow her anger. What could she do? Fight them… even if she could, (and she couldn't) they would just come back with more reinforcements.

Even still, this was her childhood home; they couldn't take it away from her. Where else was she and Meghan supposed to go?

"Is there anyone you could stay with? A relative nearby or a neighbour."

"We don't have anyone." Elaine spoke through gritted teeth, Meghan clutched her hand tightly. Their last aunt had died five years ago and she heard her only cousin… William? Will?... Willard… she wasn't sure on the name, had moved to France. "Surely you can't just kick us out like this."

"I wish there was another way, but are you getting any income in?"

Elaine looked to the ground, feeling like she had failed.

Everywhere refused her. Manors usually only took in people from their own village to serve and Clun was small, and the lord Meldon of Clun didn't need any more workers.

"No, I'm not," She replied shortly through sharp breaths. Wanting nothing more than to stab this Joderic for taking her home. A knife was resting on their kitchen table. She could do it if she wanted. Maybe it was time to make use of it by stabbing this damn tax collector in the face. Not that she ever would of course… but it was an appealing thought right now.

"I'm terribly sorry."

"Sure, you are," Elaine muttered, tugging at Meghan's hand. They had already packed their things, Elaine knew this would happen and didn't want to have to worry about packing everything last minute. Not that they had much, a few charcoal sketches her mother had done, a family locket, two empty drinking flask, a single changes of clothes for the both of them and a small insignificant rock Elaine kept in the bottom of her pocket at all times.

Before they left, saying goodbye to the home she had been raised in, she grabbed the kitchen knife off of the table. Who knew where they were going to go next and she wanted at least some protection.

"Where are we meant to go then?" Elaine asked sharply. The tax collector frowned at the question.

Great, he doesn't even know himself. She felt Meghan squeeze at her hand tighter and calmed down instantly. If she didn't control her temper, they'd get in far worse trouble.

"I'm not sure, you're too old for the orphanage… although maybe your sister would be best off there," Joderic replied calmly, looking between the two girls with warmth that Elaine chose to ignore. No matter how kind the man was prepared to be to them, he was still kicking them out of their home. No amount of kindness in the world would forgive that.

He was sitting on top of his horse, a cloak made of the finest sheep skin and a glittering chain around his neck. She wondered how much it was worth and if she could steal it off of him. Perhaps she'd be able to buy their house back with that money.

"I don't want to be separated from you," Meghan tugged at her with her small hands, clutching tighter onto the satchel full of their little possessions. "We'll get through it together… right?"

"Course," Elaine smiled, "like we always have."

"That's up to you," Joderic said with a smile, "I must be off."

"Yes, I suppose you have more homes to take from their families," Elaine glared, He seemed to not hear her as he smiled once more and began to ride off. The guards remaining appeared with wood planks and began to board up the house. Powerless, all she could do was watch as they closed off her house. She wished she was locked up inside it as they boarded it up. Alone from the world, and ignorant to all its problems.

"Where are we gonna go then?"

"Dunno," Elaine admitted, shrugging slightly but when she saw the fear well up in Meghan's eyes, she shook her head furiously, "No – I mean – Nottingham. Nottingham Castle, we'll stay there, maybe we can get some money begging… get some good food, it'll be okay." The words sounded funny coming from her mouth, as if she was in charge. She realised that she was the adult now. Meghan needed her more now than ever.

"Just as long as there's no orphanage involved I'm okay with it."

Elaine smiled at her little sister's insistence that she stay with her, but a guilty tug pulled at her heart. She would far safer in an orphanage and have the chance to grow up with other girls her age, experience childhood and perhaps even be adopted again. She might even get another older sister… suddenly finding it very hard to breath, Elaine pulled Meghan closer to her. Her small and already thin frame shivered against her side. She needed her; she couldn't send her to an orphanage now.

"We better get moving, we might still be able to make the market if we move now," Yes, the market would be most busy and everybody there would have money to spend. Perhaps they could spare a few shillings for two helpless girls.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elaine and Meghan try to find shelter and Elaine thinks of a 'genius' way to get some money for them

** Chapter 2 **

Elaine’s tin was empty, short of one shilling. When she jangled it the tin gave a pathetic _cling_. Afterwards she settled the cup between her legs meekly and stared at it, wishing she had magic powers to fill it up.

Meg was a lot more successful, being younger people were more sympathetic towards her. Her rosy cheeks and soft pout when people walked by was enough to make the sternest of men stop. Not that Elaine was complaining, it got them a decent meal for tonight.

Their campt was the cold floor, just outside the Nottingham walls, under the drained moat where a few other beggars had already made a home. No one spoke, but Elaine noted that Meg was the youngest there.

“Would you hate me if I told you I hated it here,” Meghan admitted that night as they tried to sleep. The torn blanket thrown over Meg as she cocooned herself in it. Elaine had nothing but the clothes on her back to keep her warm. They were starting to smell. “I know we have nowhere else to go – but I really do hate it ‘Laine.”

“I know, Meg, I really do,” Elaine sighed, looking up at the sky. Even the stars seemed bleaker from here, “But I don’t know what else to do.”

“We could go to Sarah’s,” Meghan offered, but Elaine shook her head at the idea.

“She’s just got married, she won’t want us…” Elaine said, “besides her husband hates me.”

“Most people do,”

“ _Rude_.”

She sighed, “It was just an idea,” Meghan sighed.

“Thank you, but we’re not doing it.”

A week past and Elaine gave in, as they ended up on Sarah’s doorstep. Begrudgingly by Elaine, who was being dragged along by her little sister. The begging money had come to a stop. Their faces became too familiar at the market and their tins stopped filling with money.

“Elaine!” Sarah welcomed at the door with a blazing smile. She had never been afraid to smile, her Sarah.

Elaine didn’t miss the downwards glance as she stared the two up and down as if wondering what had caused them to get in such a state. Their hair was matted, and clothes were now dirty, “What happened…” Sarah asked with concern as she bustled them in.

As they were greeted into their home, Elaine was once again reminded of another reason why she didn’t want to be here. Sarah and her were of similar age, both raised in Clun and of the same social stature and yet here Sarah was in her own house on Pitts Street, in the centre of Nottingham, married to a castle guard and with a hopeful future of raising a family together with the man she loves.

The man in question was at the bottom of the stairs. William had his guard uniform tucked under his arm and a bored scowl on his face.

“What’s _she_ doing here?”

“I’m not sure, I was about to ask that myself,” Sarah smiled, oblivious to the sharp tone her husband was giving Elaine and unaware of the disgusted look he passed her.

“ _Well_ …” Elaine shifted between feet. She had never been very good at asking for help, especially with William in the room who she knew would refuse her. “Mother and father died,” Elaine admitted sourly, pushing back the memory of her father’s weak breaths away, knowing tears would prick at her eyes if she continued thinking about them.

“Oh my god… Elaine,” Sarah gasped, dragging Meg and herself into a bone crushing hug, “I’m so so sorry. I had no idea”

A lump formed in her throat as Sarah held onto her. Her friend’s warmth was a bitter reminder of her childhood. Things had been simple then. If only they could go back, she would do things differently, help more around the home, get some income for herself… they might still be alive.

“It’s okay…” Elaine managed weakly, forcing a smile as Sarah eventually pulled away.

“What do you need?” Sarah quickly fussed, brushing dirt off of Meg’s shoulders, “Anything. Food? Money?”

“ _Sarah_ -” William quickly dismissed the idea.

“Zip it William, she’s my friend.”

“We were just wondering if we could stay the night. That’s all, just one night.”

“And one night will turn to one week and one week will turn into a month and before we know it we’re catering a home for simple beggars,” William strode forward, punching his chest out to reflect authority but with his guard chain mail still under his arm, it didn’t have quite the effect.

“This is Elaine though,” Sarah shook her head, “She’s a good friend… practically family… I can’t leave her on the streets. I’m sorry William, but one night won’t hurt… you’re on duty anyway. Let them stay.”

William half rolled his eyes but when he was slapped on the arm by Sarah he stopped and continued out of the door to work without saying a word. Even if he did disagree, Sarah would help them anyway.

“Course you can stay, just ignore him, he’s moody half the time.”

“Thanks Sarah. I truly do appreciate it.”

“How long have you been living rough?” Sarah frowned with concern. Before Elaine could answer she looked between the two of them and reached out to stroke a finger through Meghan’s hair before bustling about to find a comb, “A few days I gather from the state of you… why didn’t you come to me sooner. You know I would have helped.”

“I didn’t want to disturb you, you’ve got such a nice life here,” Elaine muttered, biting back her bitterness as she surveyed the house. It wasn’t anything grand. No lord or lady would be found here but it was enough. Enough to hold their essentials and a roof over their head, with quality bedding. Perhaps even an extra room for a child. Elaine wouldn’t know, she had yet to venture upstairs.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t come to me. I’m here, always.”

“Thanks Sarah, you know I’d do the same for you.”

“Course I do,” Sarah grinned, “Now what was that about getting some food? You must be starving.”

“Are you sure?” Elaine frowned, but moving closer to the food anyway. The smell of freshly cooked bread was too much for her to resist. Meghan had already begun diving into the food, clawing at it with her hands, having forgotten all manners, “You have enough, right? I don’t want to be stealing your food.”

“Oh just shut up and eat,” Meghan exclaimed, pulling out a chair for her.

Still, she waited for Sarah’s reassurance.

“Yes, don’t worry. William’s job is enough for us to get by and we’re lucky being so close to the castle… The Lady Marian often comes out of the castle with kitchen scraps. I’ll have to let you know what days they are, that’ll get you something to eat.”

“Lady Marian? The Sheriff’s daughter?”

“Her exactly,” Sarah nodded.

Elaine didn’t know much about the Lady other than tales of her beauty and kindness had spread through Nottingham. She had never seen the woman before but from what she heard she understood why the lady was so popular amongst the peasants as her charitable work saved a lot of people’s lives from starvation.

_Her charity hadn’t reached Clun, had it though._ Elaine thought bitterly, reminding herself of her parents’ cold bodies.

Deciding not to dwell on the Lady, Elaine jumped forward, no longer holding back as she tucked into the food. God… she was starving.

The evening came and Elaine and Meghan tucked into the spare bedroom. Meghan had taken the small cot in the room, whilst Elaine suffered the wooden floor, a few blankets tucked under her back to help get her comfortable, but it didn’t do much.

She could hear the gentle breathing of Meg and knew she fast asleep. _I wonder what she dreams about_. Lately, all that visited Elaine’s mind was dreams of tangled rope suffocating her as she stood on a fire pyre.

“Dear Lord, I know I probably don’t deserve it,” Elaine whispered to the bare ceiling. Her fingers welded together in a pray and her mother’s rock clenched between them. A prayer to her mother and a prayer to God. “I don’t talk to you much… and you probably hate me – You have every right to hate me but… but… but I hate you too. You took my parents away from me, and maybe you didn’t have power over that but you could have done _something_. They didn’t deserve it, Meg doesn’t deserve this. Help us, anything. I just need her to be safe.”

No one answered and Elaine gave up. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, she’d heard bard tales of ghosts appearing to offer council or stories of a light shining from the heavens. She wouldn’t have been scared if it had happened. Ghosts were kind. That’s what her mother had told her. She waited a moment but nothing came. She turned over and blew out the candle, engulfing her in the cold darkness. There was no God to hear her call anyway.

_*~How to tame an Outlaw~*_

“Come back anytime if you need food or shelter, you know you’re always welcome here,” Sarah hugged Elaine goodbye the following morning. Elaine highly doubted they were welcome anytime, not with William’s beady eyes looking down at them, his fist locked around the door as if preparing to close it. They most certainly weren’t welcome anytime.

“You can stay for longer if you want, it’s not the right weather to be outside,” Sarah continued to fuss. She was right, the rain was pouring down in buckets and Elaine and Meghan – barely out of the door – were already soaking. Their torn cloaks clung to them awkwardly. Elaine wrapped an arm around Meghan who shivered against the cold.

“I don’t want to take up more of your time.”

“As long as you’re sure,” Sarah smiled sadly, “Don’t get into any trouble.”

“Hard not too when you have her as a sister,” Meghan teased.

Elaine elbowed her in the ribs, “Shut it you.”

Sarah waved them off as they walked further down Pitts street, away from the sanctuary of her home. Out of the corner of her eye, Elaine saw her fighting her husband to keep the door open.

“What now?” Meg asked, her beady eyes looking up at Elaine for instructions.

“You’re not going to like it, but – I think I’ve got an idea.”

The idea had hit her when they’d been beggars in the market the previous day. She’d seen a man darting through the stalls, sneakily pulling off the lord and ladies’ purses before putting the money in his own. No one saw him. Elaine only did because she had been sitting and observing the people. There wasn’t much to do to entertain yourself when you had nothing.

“Isn’t that illegal?” Meghan asked after Elaine had mentioned the idea of pick pocketing.

“Well… yes.”

Meghan pondered for a moment, her wide brown eyes reflecting her worry, “I’m not sure if this is a good idea, ‘Laine.”

“Sure it is,” Elaine said confidently, “We just need to find someone whose engrossed in their spending’s and-” she mimed snatching something, “It’s ours for the taking.”

“What if we get caught.”

“ _You’ll_ be fine, you’re not going to do anything,” She stressed, looking down at her seriously. She didn’t want her sister to be involved. If anything were to happen she’d at least still have the orphanage to go too, “and I’ll be fine. I watched someone do it yesterday.”

Meghan still wasn’t convinced.

“Look – I don’t know what else to do,” she said, “It’s this or I’ll have to find work at the whorehouse.”

“ _No_. you can’t do that.”

“it’ll be fine, Meg,” Elaine reached over and kissed her little sister on the top of the head. Lingering for a second. She wasn’t sure what she’d do without her, “I’ll sort everything out.”

She left Meghan to browse the stalls. A little hesitant to leave her, Elaine kept one eye out for her and one eye on the merchants before her. The rain was an advantage as people were less likely to feel their purses being stripped from their sides with the pouring of the rain as a decent distraction.

She saw her first target. A boy, no older than twenty. A green cloak wrapped around him tightly, shielding him from the rain as he browsed the weaponry stand. Out of the corner of his cloak his purse stuck out.

“Now or never,” Elaine muttered to herself.

She wasn’t fully prepared - she was aware of this - but having just eaten a full meal at Sarah’s she was anxious to eat more. She didn’t know where their next meal would come from, and whilst going to Sarah’s again tonight was an appealing option, she knew her husband wouldn’t accept them for a second night in a row and Sarah would eventually tire of their charity case.

She had to do this. For Meghan if for no one else.

She prepared to step forward and pretended to be browsing the weapons herself. Standing close to him as she excused herself and leant around him as if picking up and item, whilst her other hand snaked around his side. She felt the purse but it was attached at his belt. Sighing, she gave it a tug, hoping the thread holding it to his belt would let go but it was knotted thoroughly and the boy span around to face her.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“ _Oh damn_ , sorry… I- I just tripped.” Elaine shuffled backwards, her face paling. She recognized the boy. Everybody did. His back had been turned to her, she wouldn’t have dared try to Rob from him if she’d know. The Locksley scandal which had ended in a blazing fire at his home was a well-known story that travelled around Nottingham villages.

“No, you were going for my purse,” Robin of Locksley huffed, tucking his cloak around his purse.

Elaine looked at the ground, waiting for him to call the guards over. She would likely be taken to the dungeons. Although perhaps the Sheriff would be lenient with her… from what she’d heard he was kind… maybe it would be okay.

“Look at me.” Lord Robin ordered and Elaine slowly looked up at him.

He was a few feet taller than her; a slight beard was starting to grow on his young face and his green eyes were striking. What caught her attention the most though was the smirk displayed. He didn’t look angry at all, only slightly amused. “Next time work out how to unhook the purse first, otherwise you’ll give yourself away.” Robin reached into the purse to pull out two coins, “here take this.”

“What?” Elaine stared confused as to why he was helping her. Hadn’t he just caught her stealing from him? Wasn’t he going to get the guards? Nevertheless, the money was too much of a good opportunity to pass up and she grabbed them with one hand, “Why are you doing this?”

“Have a good meal tonight on me,” was all Lord Robin said as he winked and walked away, leaving Elaine dumbfounded with the coins tucked in her hand. _What had just happened?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elaine and Meghan try to make a living on the streets of Nottingham

**Chapter 3:**

A week passed and Meghan didn't seem to mind the stealing so much anymore. Now that she was getting a decent sized meal every night. Still, Elaine wasn't stealing enough to buy a bed for the evening, but it was still enough to get by.

A dynamic between the girls had been working successfully. Meghan would either act as a distraction or beg for money herself whilst those at the market fawned over her cuteness, Elaine would sneak around and steal their earnings with quick and nimble fingers. Together, they shared their earnings and laughed about the stupidity of Nottingham's people over dinner at the tavern.

A week soon turned into a month. The days turned into nights and the summer turned cold. Their success at Nottingham market was short lived when a small army approached Nottingham's gates. Their banners grey, but their sword remained in their belts as if they'd been already been told no fighting would happen and they were simply going for a stroll. 

Still, the tall men frightened her as they cast a shadow across Nottingham streets and their metal armour clanged together as they walked. Elaine clutched onto Meg tightly, fearing a battle would break out. She'd been practising defence fighting, in case she ever needed to protect herself. Her only weapon was a small kitchen knife and a bow and arrow she'd stole. She had no idea how to use one though and it remained uselessly at her side.

However, no battle did break out.

She saw the Lord Vaisey rise up the Nottingham steps and the Sheriff Edward and his daughter walk down them. It seemed a rather peaceful affair. No one thought more of it when Lord Vaisey became the Sheriff of Nottingham. Elaine noticed the small changes, however. The guards were tripled and slowly the market became smaller and smaller. People were approached in the streets, demanding taxes and when they couldn't pay they were taken to the castle. Some of them Elaine never saw again. She tried to stay out of the way.

That was until she could no longer. The busy market was always a good distraction as she would be able to weave through the crowds, her hands sneaking its way to people's purses without them knowing. _Yes… she was very good_. It only became more of a challenge when the guards doubled and the amount of people in the crowd lessened. _Still_ … she managed for a few more weeks until she stole from one too many. She never did know when to quit.

The Lord whose purse Elaine had just lifted yelped out, and span around to slap her. Elaine – startled by the slap- sprung backwards, and hit a few stalls along the way, the products toppling onto the floor in a heap. Guards came dashing over, almost surrounding her when Elaine's hand was clutched tightly by a smaller more softer one. Looking around for escape, she felt herself being dragged away, catching the mousy brown plaited hair that swished in the breeze and she knew it could only be her sister.

"Horses. _come on_!" Meghan cried, running as fast as her little legs could carry her. She clutched on tightly. Hands sweating and eyes pierced on the goal, as the horses waited up ahead for them. Guards pounding on them from every turn. It seemed the whole castle guard were pounding on them.

She threw Meghan up onto one of the horses, before climbing behind.

"What happened!" Meg tore through the sound of screaming Guards. Squeezing the horses legs, she willed the horse to move just as Guards drew their swords at their feet. At the last second the horse reared forward, as if sensing the glint of the blade and decided to flee. She caught Meghan whose back crashed into her, her hands dug so tightly into the reins she was scared she'd cut into them. 

"I GOT CAUGHT!"

"There's so many guards!"

"Ahhh!" Meghan screamed, arrows whizzing past them. The guards fired at them from the battlements, ordering them to close the doors down below. With a stroke of luck - Elaine and Meghan managed to squeeze through a horse sized gap just as the _booming_ clang of the gates closing behind them.

"JUST KEEP RIDING!" Elaine yelped. She wasn't sure who she was yelling at, as she was the one in control of the horses reins, but Meghan nodded anyhow.

"Where are we going?"

Horses pounded behind them as the Sheriff's men followed them.

"Sherwood. Up there… Sherwood forest."

"SHERWOOD? That's scary, that's where outlaws go, isn't it?"

"I may have just made us an outlaw… who knows," Elaine cried, reaching the sanctuary of the trees.

They rode for a bit further; Elaine turned the horse in different way to throw the guards off. When the horses' hooves behind them seized, they ditched their own horse and travelled further into the trees on foot. It was harder to track by feet.

She kept hold of Meghan's hand as she found a cave. Pulling Meg along, despite her complaining about the dark she forced her to follow. She had no way to light a torch and they sat in the surrounding blackness, with bats flying around them and mice scurrying at their feet. Elaine clung to her little sister for dear life, "I'm really sorry. I'm so sorry for getting you in this mess."

"It's not your fault."

"What if they recognise my face? I'm an outlaw now. I can't go back."

"We'll wait a few weeks," Meg said, "they won't remember your face for that long and we can eat berries until then."

" _Oh Meg, I'm so sorry_."

"it's okay," she didn't see Meghan reached up but felt the soft kiss on her cheek, "You're doing the best you can. At least we're not getting wet from rain in the cave."

"You've got a point there," Elaine wiped her panicked tears from the back of her sleeve.

"Do you think they've gone?"

"We'll wait for a bit."

They waited a full day before venturing outside. With no idea whether it was night or day, as they took the first hesitant steps outside like man seeing earth for the first time, but was pleasantly surprised when a warm breeze washed over their face. They blinked away the sunlight and steadied their feet, become used to the darkness of the cave.

"Wow. it's truly beautiful here," Meghan whispered more to herself, but Elaine couldn't help but agree. The leaves scattered from trees gracefully, cascading down as light as a feather. Like the world was in slow motion. Elaine wanted to dive into it, to meet the sunlight that peaked through the branches. The greenness that was expected from a forest was gone, leaving the dusty colours of autumn.

" _Wow._ " Elaine murmured. She could get used to this sight.

"Let's not go back to the castle," Meghan decided, "I like it here."

"Really?" Elaine asked. She looked around, she could see rabbits hopping from one hole to the next in the distance, squirrels bouncing from the trees. Berries of all sorts filled the bushes. They had everything they could need.

Perhaps… _maybe_ … they could stay here.

"… can we?"

"Yes, I think we can."

The only problem was Elaine had no idea how to use a bow and arrow. Coming from a small village and as a girl, she had no need to pick one up. The only fighting she knew was with her handy kitchen knife which she kept stashed on her at all times. She never parted with it. She realised at one point she would probably have to arm Meghan with something, considering they were outlaws, but she didn't want to put a weapon in the hands of her little sister. Every time Elaine successfully hunted (which was rare) and usually was because she managed to throw her knife at the defenceless animal, Meghan would cry for the creature they had just killed. _Yes,_ it was for the best that Meghan remained without a weapon - For now, Elaine could protect her.

In the coming months they took shelter in the cave. As winter approached, it seemed to be the coldest winter of them all – or at least Elaine felt like it was. She hadn't been without shelter for any winters before. The cave became their much needed shelter, making it a home of sorts as Meghan littered the cave walls with their mother's drawings and some of her own. With animals hibernating and plants frozen over, the only option was to go back to Nottingham and begin pick pocketing again.

Elaine kept her head low, and cloak pulled over her head. The guards didn't recognise her as she walked through without being stopped.

The market was smaller than she'd ever seen it before and she knew she'd have to be extremely careful. The castle entrance itself had the portcullis closed. Usually under Sheriff Edward's rule, the castle was open to all. It was not like it used to be. Peasants rarely talked on the streets, too scared to draw attention to themselves. Hopelessness swam in the air

There were more guards than citizens in the market and she was careful as she stole from the few pockets she could find.

_I won't be caught_ … she made a promise to herself, thinking of her sister who had stayed in the warmth of the cave.

Eventually she only made enough money to feed one and decided she would go hungry tonight. Meghan was a growing girl, after all.

With burning legs, she managed to the walk back to the cave, an empty feeling that she'd just wasted a day with pockets still low on coin. The night drew as she approached the cave entrance. Her senses heightened when she noticed the torches weren't burning inside.

Why was Meghan sitting in darkness?

At first Elaine thought Meghan was hiding and she spent a good five minutes humouring her at hide and seek, but when she searched the whole cave and her sister was nowhere to be seen, an empty pit resided at the bottom of her stomach.

Running back out to the open air, she screamed her name.

"MEG!" her voice cracked, "I'm back, where are you at?"

There was no reply and Elaine looked out at the dark forest. She could barely see the trees in front of her, let alone go out and venture a search… _but it was her sister._

"MEGHAN WALKER GET BACK HERE NOW!" She tried one last time, using such force in her voice that it cracked, "MEG!"

Stumbling back to the cave in a haste, she looked for any evidence on where Meghan was. There was no sign of struggle. Her drawings were still stuck on the wall and her satchel was still dropped messily on the cave floor. The only thing she could find missing was her bow and arrow.

" _Okay_ …" Elaine breathed, trying to not let the panic sink in. It was dark and her sister was all on her own. Why did she think leaving was in anyway a good idea? "she's just gone out to hunt – even though I told her not too – and got lost." Her mind wasn't eased. She couldn't safely venture out to look for her until morning.

Despite knowing this, she picked up her satchel and kitchen knife, and went outside anyhow. Into the dark night. She couldn't leave her.

"Alright Meg, stay where you are, I'm coming…" _please be okay…._

Followed by the longest night of her life, Elaine got no sleep. Already exhausted from her trek from Nottingham and back she kept walking. Knowing her sister was somewhere in the world and Elaine had no idea where. There was no sign, and Elaine almost stumbled on another outlaw camp who were loudly yelling and drinking. She prayed to the Gods she didn't believe in that Meg hadn't gotten caught up in the likes of them lot.

A big man in a long leather coat and a large stick in his hand, stood tall against the men – who Elaine could only presume was the leader. He laughed with them, telling jokes and Elaine used this distraction as her opportunity to search the camp and was disappointed to find her sister wasn't there.

The morning came and Elaine desperately made her way back to the cave, hoping to find her sister had been waiting for her the whole night. Her heart plummeted when she found it was bare.

"Meg... where are you?"

Elaine Walker tried hard not to cry, to keep the panicked tears at bay. But there was only so much she could take. The cave felt bigger without her sisters smile to cheer her up, and the air seemed staler. Not knowing what had happened was the worst.

Her legs gave way and she plummeted to the floor. As she curled her legs up to her chest in an uncomfortable way but she didn't care. She wished the ground would swallow her whole, at least then she wouldn't have to feel the pain. The pain was too much to cope. She wanted it to end. She had nothing, not even Meghan to brighten up her darkest day.

She grabbed the rock her mother had given her and drew back her arms with the intention of throwing it. She wanted it gone. Her mother had told her luck would follow her wherever she went as long as she held onto this rock, but nothing had gone right. _Nothing_. But her arms fell weak and she didn't have the strength to throw the tiny rock.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three years have passed since Elaine lost her sister and she meets an unexpected tavern trickster in Nottingham's tavern.

** Chapter 4 **

_November 1187_

“aw well… better luck next time… sorry mate. That’s five shillings. Sorry, you lost no can do.”

The Nottingham tavern was alive with noise. Just the way Elaine liked it. The busier it was, the more people drank, the more people drank the easier it was to steal their good earned gold. With the market stalls practically empty and the Sheriff making lives harder for everyone, Elaine found the tavern was the best place to steal. Everyone was too focused on having a good time. Although, when she was caught it often ended violently for everyone.

Her days, lately, had ended at the tavern. Usually with a purse of gold and a comfy bed for the night. It was a waste of money, for sure, when there was a perfectly decent forest floor that provided the perfect shelter but paranoia had set in. She’d woken up with bags stolen, a knife to her throat or outlaws surrounding her, laughing at her whilst she slept. By far, the oddest and scariest thing that had ever happened to her was she once woke up with a strange woman with a bush of hair and black teeth trying to cut her hair off. She’d screamed and knocked the lady out before she snipped the scissors.

Little John and bloody Royston White ruled the forest, with gangs of outlaws at each turn under their command. People claimed Sherwood forest was haunted, but she knew better. It was just the stupid boys making howling noises in the middle of the night, trying to scare of travellers. Usually, it worked.

It was either try her luck in the forest filled with the wild lawless outlaws or risk a night in a town where guards barely remembered her face.

Her trusty kitchen knife still remained at her side at times. Barely ever touched and stored in her boot for safekeeping. There was no need… not in here where everyone was too drunk to notice, and when it _did_ get violent she would flee behind the bar and crawl out whilst everyone started accusing everyone of stealing. The chaos was the best part.

She found her usual seat at the bar and ordered her usual. Beer. It was cheapest and there was nothing more she wanted than to get drunk right now and forget her problems. She didn’t even need to say anything to the tavern owner as he poured her drink, laying it in front of her.

“Thanks,” Elaine replied weakly, downing the drink in one.

 _God, it tasted awful,_ she thought before paying for another one.

A loud cheer stopped her pondering thoughts. She turned to find the usual Friday night tavern whores making their way downstairs for a night of business. The men in the room turned their beady eyes, looking their bodies up and down and licking their lips. Probably all trying to contain the growing bulge in their pants.

She didn’t know how they could stand the attention with their bodies on display as if they were nothing more than an object of desire. She often wondered whether she could join the whorehouse. It was a decent paying job, and she’d have a roof over her head and eat well. What more did she have to lose?

“How much are you charging lovely?” an arm snaked around her shoulder. He must really be drunk to think she was a whore, as the other girls were dressed in skimpy colourful outfits, their makeup was done perfectly whilst Elaine hadn’t had a bath in weeks, a cloak wrapped firmly around her and a look of distaste on her face. She could smell her own stench and wanted to turn her own nose up at herself.

“Bugger off,” Elaine groaned, forcing down the rest of her drink, “Otherwise, I’ll charge you for just being two metres in my presence.”

“What else is a pretty girl like you doing in the tavern this time of night.”

“Trying to enjoy a drink, just like you.”

“I’m here for a bit more than a drink.”

“Good for you,” Elaine said flatly, sick of the man, “Have a lovely evening.”

Luckily the man left her alone. Although she knew he wouldn’t exactly be having a _lovely_ evening now, with his money purse now firmly in Elaine’s hands. She smirked to herself, feeling the weight of the gold in her palms. This was a good life.

Tucking the money away she went back to her drink and was mostly ignored by the majority of the room. The odd man came and tried their way with her but it just made her richer as each time they attempted their money was swiped off of them.

She wasn’t opposed to flirting to get money off of men. It was the easiest tactic, as it enabled her to get closer to them. After three years of being an outlaw and living a life of thievery, she’d learnt all the tricks in the book. But it was much too dangerous on a night like this, with whores parading the area. Men would be expecting something more from her, and that was something she had yet to do in order to get money.

Although it was certainly fun to flirt and see the disappointment in the men’s eyes when she turned and walked away.

The tavern crowd had shrunken in size as men disappeared upstairs for a night ‘ _they wouldn’t forget’_. She dared a look over at the man next to her, he had taken no interest in the whores and stayed staring down at his drink. She remembered him from when she entered the tavern, where he had been gambling and winning with other men. Her next target, she decided with a smile. His purse was the other side of his body, however, and she’d have to get him to turn so she could reach it.

“Not interested in the women then?” she started a conversation. Despising this part of her plan… _small talk_.

He turned and Elaine was almost taken aback by how handsome he looked, the cloak had hidden his features but now she could see his striking blue eyes, catching the embers of the light.

“Why would I pay when I can have any woman I want?”

 _A confident jack-ass_.

“I see…” Elaine trailed off. _Why can’t I be better at the small talk part of stealing?_

“I see you’ve been turning men down all night,” The man mentioned, a twinkle in his eye, “Not interested yourself then?”

“Men who think they can get their way with women aren’t actually that attractive. Just a word of advice”

“Noted,” he said, a trace of a smirk itching its way onto his face which strangely aggravated Elaine even more, “But yet you chose to start talking to me.”

“My mistake I can see,” Elaine shrugged, sharply rising from her bar stool and coincidently ‘tripped’ on the hem of her skirt. Refusing to catch herself, she fell right into him. “Oh, crap.”

Working quickly, she unlaced the thread that kept his purse on his belt and tucked it under her cloak before he could even notice. She pulled away, a forced apologetic smile that had been well prepared.

“Sorry about that.”

“- that’s not a good idea, actually.”

She spun around without really seeing, already thinking of where she can store this money “Excuse me?” To her surprise, his quick eyes landed at her side where his money was stashed under her cloak.

“The money you just stole… I kind of need it.”

“What money?”

A moment later, the man held up three separate coin purses. All the ones she had stolen throughout the night from other men.

“- How did you!” Elaine’s hand sprang to her sides where she was sure they still were but felt nothing but empty air. Glaring she passed an accusing eye to him, “Give that back right now! That’s not yours!”

“Neither is the money you just took from me,” He laughed _actually_ –laughed “I’m the best pickpocketer in the whole of England. You’re going to have to do a better job. You’re good I’ll give you that though.” Humiliated, Elaine lunged forward but the man easily jumped up and over the bar counter, rolling out of sight.

“GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!” She cried, diving after him only to see him crawling out at the other end of the bar, “That’s my bloody money!”

She hopped back over the bar, pulling her knife as she did. Crowds of people appeared to see what all the commotion was about and with a flight of fear she realised the man was almost by the door. Beginning to push, she shoved people in the shoulders to get past them, holding her knife up to show she meant business. Eventually, they got the picture and made a path for her to get through and she tried not to trip over their wandering feet.

With short breath, she made it outside into the dark streets of Nottingham. It was empty and she could hear his distant padded footsteps as background noise as he carried her money away. Running after the sound, Elaine pushed forward. She couldn’t lose that money, that was a whole week worth of earning, she really didn’t fancy going back to the tavern tonight and trying to make all that money again.

For a moment she feared she had lost him. She couldn’t go back to the tavern after causing a scene and she’d end up going hungry for the night.

She stubbornly refused to give up… she knew the streets of Nottingham better than most and used her remaining strength to climb up onto the roof of a tall house, carefully trying not to trip over her dress. The height was an advantage and was able to see the whole town from her position.

“Where are you,” Elaine said, leaning down and peering into the dark determined to find the bastard.

Finally, her well-trained eyes caught the silhouette of a man running through the darkened streets of Nottingham. His scrawny figure was sloppily sprinting whilst constantly looking behind him as if expecting her to be running after him. With a smirk, Elaine began chasing across the rooftops. Feeling like a cat, tiptoeing across with perfect balance.

With a roar, she dived down on top of him. An unmanly scream followed as the man stumbled down, Elaine’s body crashing down on top of him. She barely stumbled and dived for her knife, bringing it up to the nape of his neck.

Panted breaths, he squirmed awkwardly under her but she fisted his leather jacket. Imprinting the leathery pattern into her soft palms.

She tried imagining different ways to stab him, “Give me my bloody money back now, you thief!”

“That’s a bit rich, coming from you,” the man cried, although his eyes were wide as he stared down at the dagger at his neck to her face, “Look – alright it’s around my belt. Just don’t stab me. _Jesus_ , you’re scary.”

“Thank you,” Elaine growled, grabbing the purses from him herself. Not trusting him not to pull another trick, “Don’t steal from me again.” Elaine crawled off of him, with her money back she no longer cared what happened to the man as she stored her knife back in her boot.

“Can I at least have my money back? we can call it even.” The annoying smirk had made its way back onto his face and Elaine had half a mind to pull her knife back out again and point it at him.

“ _Watch it_.”

“Come on, we can have mutual admiration for one another as great pickpocketers.”

“I’m clearly the better of the two seeing as I ended up with all the money.” She meant to walk away but she’d never met someone who’d been able to steal off of her and the most conversation she usually had was deciding what to order at a bar. Surprisingly, an unfamiliar grin sat plump on her face from her great victory.

Wanting to showcase her victory and prove to him that he was not another great pickpocketer, as she was the best around but all as she fisted her waist, expecting to feel the softness of a velvet purse, all she felt instead was empty air.

She looked up, growling. “Wha-”

“Did you, now?” With a twist of his wrist, the man plucked out his own purse Elaine had stolen from him back at the tavern.

“Are you serious?” Elaine took a menacing step forward, her hands itching towards her knife. She really wanted to put it through his eyeball. How dare he steal from her not once… but twice and still have a smirk on his face.

“I told you I was good.”

This launched Elaine forward but he took a large step back, his hands held up in surrender. “Hold on, hold on… don’t go so quick to violence.”

“You stole from me! _Twice_!”

“ _Once_ ,” He corrected, “The second time I took back what was mine.”

“Guess I’ll have to steal from _you_ twice then,” Elaine decided. She was getting that money. Not because she wanted it, but because as far as she was concerned, she was the best pickpocketer around. She couldn’t have competition.

“ _Or_ …” He raised an eyebrow suggestively, making Elaine stop in her steps, “We could team up.”

“And why the hell would I want to do that.”

“look – you’re clearly good at what you do and I’m the best at what I do-” Elaine snarled her teeth at him. _No… no_ one was better than her at thieving. She wouldn’t have it. She’d mastered the skill of pickpocketing. It was basically a career to her; she wouldn’t have this arsehole matching her skill. “- _alright, alright_ , not the best but equally as good as you.” That was a little better. “Imagine what we could get if we worked together. How’s that for an idea?”

Elaine shook her head, the idea sounded awful. She was good at what she did because she did it alone. She didn’t need some man to tell her what to do and having to share her earnings sounded terrible.

“It’s an idea,” Elaine reasoned, “but I work alone.”

“Sound lonely.”

Elaine opened her mouth to respond with some witty remark but snapped it shut almost immediately as she couldn’t think of anything to say. Her tongue pinned down to the roof of her mouth.

She enjoyed being on her own. She was alone… yes, but that didn’t mean she was lonely. The quite nature of the forest at night was relaxing (albeit the fearing for her life, sort of put a downer on the situation), but she never had to depend on anyone else. Everything she did was her choice, her freedom to do as she wished. If someone else was with her then they’d just restrict her. _No_ … she was okay.

So why was she suddenly found it so hard to talk?

In her whirlwind of thoughts, her thoughts landed on a certain little brunette with the brightest smile in all of Nottingham. She tried to steer clear of thoughts of the girl. Meghan Walker. Three years it had been and still, she had no one to share her jokes with or even vent to. Only her own thoughts and sometimes she drove herself insane.

“I’m – I’m not lonely.” Her voice betrayed her as she shuffled between her feet. Eye contact suddenly becoming an impossible task.

“You sure about that?”

“Course,” Elaine smiled, before challenging him, hating that the attention had turned solely onto her, “ _Are you_?”

“Yeah, a bit.” He admitted easily.

“ _Sad_ ,” She teased. Drawing backwards, she no longer cared he had all of her earnings for the night as a deep pressure settled in her lungs making it hard to breathe as if the air had suddenly been vacuumed from the sky. The man before her seemed to be breathing fine, as he continued to stare at her calmly with a piercing glare. “Nice meeting you…”

She twitched away and begun running from the town like she was being chased by dozens of guards.

She retreated back to the forest. Diving right off the North road’s lit and twisting path as she already knew it would be watched by outlaws tonight, and diverted into the main body of trees. Skipping beats of her heart between each step.

She wasn’t lonely. They were just words to distract her, so he could steal her purse. It was just words.

If it wasn’t for that strange man, she’d have a bed for the night and a full belly. Cursing him under her breath, she forced herself to venture deeper into the forest. Perhaps the further she walked, the more she’d convince herself that she was simply alone and not lonely.

In the coming days, she found herself back at Nottingham tavern. She never ventured in. She’d had twisted dreams about the strange man and was scared that if she went inside, he’d pin her down and interrogate her about her life, and demand to know where her sister and family went. It always ended with her finally admitting how lonely she was.

She shook her head, wanting to slap herself. It was a stupid dream.

From the outside, she could see certain parts of the tavern and the man always positioned himself facing out the window. He was there most of the day, playing cards, always in the corner but the corner closest to the door for a quick escape.

He was a tavern trickster for sure. Money seemed to pass his way every few minutes. Every now and then she would catch him tucking a card under the table.

It became an obsession of hers. Watching him play. Day after day she would settle herself outside the tavern and just watch. The man barely had anyone speak to him unless they were up for a game of cards. She recognised the look he gave when he was sitting alone, waiting for someone to come sit down next to him.

_I don’t care. I’m not lonely. I don’t care. I’m not lonely. I don’t care._

She said to herself as she sat outside, watching him for days on end.

Finally, she got up, still singing this chorus inside of her head. _I don’t care. I’m not lonely. I don’t care. I’m not lonely. I don’t care._ Pushing the tavern door open she marched over to him and slammed her hand on the table, interrupting his current game.

“I want to play.”

The man rose an eyebrow, smirking. “As you can see, I’m in a game.”

He shuffled the cards.

“I don’t care,” She insisted, shuffling the man who had sat down and tossed him a few coins to get rid of him. It was much more than he was ever going to win playing with this man, “I want to play.”

He finished shuffling and laid the cards in front of her, for her to take.

“I don’t know how to play,” She admitted but greedily fisted the cards into her own fingers.

“That’s fine,” he nodded, “I’ll teach you.”

“How come she doesn’t have to pay to play!” The man she had just shuffled off protested, trying to win back his seat from Elaine again.

“She’s my friend,” he said simply, waving the man away.

Elaine smiled, “your friend? I don’t even know your name?”

A hand extended towards her, “The names Tom A-dale.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elaine Walker and Tom A-dale are partners in crime. What could go wrong?

** Chapter 5 **

_January 1188_

Horses charged towards her like a tsunami. A whirlwind of merciless men. Panting, the money that was loaded in her satchel weighed her down. As she rounded another tree, hoping to lose them, she had half a mind to drop the money. _But_ , then it would have all been for nothing. She held on tighter to the satchel, determined not to leave it behind.

Her legs worked overtime. Pulling her trusty kitchen knife from her side and aimed with precision. A skill she had naturally adapted. It hit the guard’s leg, his ability to ride was cut short as he let out a scream, and his horse reared back and the guard toppled backwards doing a backwards spin in the air before falling flat on his face.

The other guards stopped their chase, and circled their friend on the ground, all trying to help him.

“Leave the idiot! Get after my money,” Sir Guy of Gisborne spat.

He was a dark man. Elaine hadn’t had the pleasure of being in his company until now but knew the villagers of Locksley were terrified of him. His dark brows kept with his natural glare. She wasn’t sure if he was able to smile or if an evil smirk was his default function. Since Robin of Locksley’s departure to the Holy Land things had turned sour for Locksley, Elaine only thought it right she pay Guy of Gisborne back for his treatment by nicking his money. She really did want a decent place to sleep tonight, rather than the forest floor.

With their distraction diverted for a second, Elaine took the opportunity to climb a tall tree. Using a branch to support her and the cover of leaves as hideout, she peered through the gaps as they rode past her. The angry shouts of Gisborne following them.

“Phew,” Elaine let out a puff a few minutes later when she was sure they were gone. The adrenaline pumping through her, “That was close.”

“You hide terribly.”

Elaine jumped at the sound. Losing her balance, she slipped from the tree and she was only just managed to hang

on with a single hand tucked around the branch.

“TOM!” Elaine hissed, “ _What the hell_.”

Tom held onto his stomach as he let out a roar of laughter. Annoyingly, He knew that if he flashed his boyish grin, Elaine couldn’t stay mad at him.

“I thought you knew I was there,” Tom said.

Elaine’s strength was slowly seeping from her muscles. There was no way she was strong enough to pull herself back over the branch and make her way down the way she came up.

“How the hell am I going to get down now, you idiot!”

“Just jump. It’s not that far,” Tom shrugged as he stood below her, “Or don’t. The view from here is fine.”

“Are- are you…. Are you looking up my skirt!”

“A gentleman never shares.”

“You Tom A-dale are no gentleman. Get me down now!” Elaine snapped, worriedly looking around in case Gisborne came back with his men. They would come back this way to Locksley once they had given up searching, it was only a matter of time. She was doomed if they came back now.

“Just _jump_.”

“It’s too high!”

“No, it’s not.”

Taking a puff of breath in, she let go. She really had no other choice and Tom was being useless. She closed her eyes as she felt the whiff of air catch past her. Preparing for the hard blow she was surprised when she landed softly, the sound of a great huff blowing in her ear.

“Geez, you’re heavy.”

“Rude,” Elaine snapped, still angry as she jumped off of his outstretched hands that had been prepared to catch her. She wasn’t going to forgive him easily, “plus, where the hell was you?”

“I told you I was a lookout, you’re much better sneaking in than me.” Tom reasoned, looking slightly hurt she had pulled away from him. Right now she didn’t care. She was out of breath and exhausted from running and carrying a stupid amount of heavy gold around in a satchel which was about to snap from the weight of it all.

“Much use that was, where was my signal when Gisborne came in!” did he not realised how close she was to getting caught. Tom brushed it off, only infuriating her more. How could he not understand why she was mad?

“I knew you could handle it,” Tom flashed his boyish grin which always made Elaine weak in the knees, “You’re brilliant you are.”

The anger faded instantly and replaced with the pleasant feel of butterflies flapping their wings in the bottom of her stomach.

Tom wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled her closer. Elaine became transfixed on the blue of his eyes. There was probably a good reason why he hadn’t been there, she just jumped to conclusions. Stealing Gisborne’s money was his idea in the first place. He wouldn’t let her down like that.

Their lips met and all petty thoughts of the money and Gisborne left her mind. All that mattered was Tom. A shudder went through her nerves, affecting her whole body. He traced the line of her cheekbone. Stumbling back, she hit a tree. Unsure of how to react or what to do, she was taken back by the sheer forcefulness. They had kissed before but never like this, not with such urgency and surprise. It had been a long three months together, barely separated and unable to avoid his boyish charm.

She kissed him back as his tongue smoothly licked at her mouth. The urgency of his tongue demanded she respond. On impulse, she reached forward and fisted his shirt. Not sure if she wanted to pull him away or not. She was in a trance, unable to respond to what felt like an explosion going around her. Not wanting to disappoint him, she clutched his shirt closer to her and kissed back harder.

Tom’s hand excitedly roamed her back. Finding every each of her skin through her dress and caressing it. Slowly he moved his hands to the front, roughly fisting her breasts against his hands, moving against her Elaine suddenly felt the hardness of his groin.

“Wait-” Elaine gasped, pushing away. She felt like all the air had been taken from the world and she had to pause a moment to get her words out, “We should go - Maybe…. Gisborne. He could come back.”

She ignored the annoyed groan from Tom and walked away. Quick to escape his arms that had trapped her in between the tree trunk.

“Come on,” She turned around when she realised Tom wasn’t following, “We’ve got to go hide our treasure.”

“Suppose,” Tom replied, slowly plodding after her. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his child-like behaviour. Although maybe she was at fault. He’d only wanted to kiss her, and Gisborne wouldn’t be back for ages until he’s searched the whole forest. No one looked at her the way Tom did. Complimenting her as much as he did and working alongside her… she’d never had a partner before. The lonely black hole in her life slowly disappearing and she had turned his advances down. This could have been her way to show how thankful she was to him, for putting up with her.

“Cheer up,” Elaine tried, planting a false smile, “We’re going to be sleeping in an actual bed tonight with this gold.”

“Yeah, that’ll be good…” He still didn’t seem to be fazed by this news, however. Elaine should have known better.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Elaine spend the night in the tavern.

** Chapter 6: **

The tavern’s inn warmness soothed Elaine’s skin. It had been an age since she’d slept in a bed with an actual mattress. Even at home small hut in Clun, she slept on a pile of hay. Elaine closed and opened her bare toes against the soft mattress. She could get used to this life.

After a small argument, Tom had agreed to go out to get food. With her legs aching from running from guards trying to actually kill, she thought she deserved to relax. She dragged her hand against the border of the bed, the pinewood travelled across her light fingertips. She tucked away a small smile at the feel of the softness of the wood. It was going to be a good night.

The door opened but Elaine could barely find the energy to open her eyes. “Listen ‘ere, Elaine, you’ll never guess what!” Tom exclaimed, slamming the door behind him, “Guess what I’ve heard.”

“I’m not sure but if you don’t give me that bread now I’m going to wrestle it off of you,” Elaine’s attention was diverted to the sweet smell of bread that awakened her senses. The stick of bread was in his folded hands.

“Yeah sure,” he ripped the bread in half and passed it to her. “Anyway-” he pressed on, “We’re famous.”

She was possibly the most invisible person in the whole of Nottingham. “Yeah right,” She snorted, crumbs of bread sprayed from her mouth.

“No seriously… I heard some guards talking. We’re worth like one hundred coins each or some’ing,” he munched on his bread, his words becoming harder and harder to understand.

“What do you mean?” Elaine tilted her head curiously. Her name had never been uttered by guards before because no one knew her.

“Stealing all of Gisborne’s stuff,” Tom shrugged as if it was no big deal.

“Tom,” Elaine flashed her eyes worriedly, “I put my actual name down when we were booking the room!”

If he was fazed by this news, he didn’t show it as he kicked off his shoes and pounced onto the bed to test its bounciness.

“Feels good,” he muttered satisfied with their purchase, “want to try it out?”

“Tom this is serious…” Elaine resisted rolling her eyes. Her instincts telling her to run away now and get to the safe haven of the forest, before they found her. How stupid could she be? Writing down her own damn name on the innkeepers log book. She should have come up with something… she could have gone by the name ‘Meghan’ or ‘Sarah’. Wasn’t that what professional outlaws did? Hide? She had just assumed she’d be invisible being herself.

“Don’t worry about it,” Tom sighed, sounding mildly annoyed, “they won’t find you.”

“I don’t know, Tom…” Elaine said nervously. Her eyes flitted to the door and then the window as if she expected guards to suddenly run in and attack her, “maybe we should just go to the forest tonight… just in case.”

“No, we can’t do that.” Tom shook his head, quickly sitting up, “I wish I never told you now… look you’re just getting all worried for nothing. They’re not going to find you ‘ere.”

“Tom…” it didn’t matter there was a nice bed here. It didn’t matter she hadn’t had a decent nights sleep in years. It didn’t matter there was a roof over her head for once. The Guards are going to catch her if she didn’t move, and then she’d be killed… that’s how things went now with Sheriff Vaisey in charge now, didn’t they? Now with the new Sheriff and Gisborne at his side.

She knew she shouldn’t have listened to Tom and taken Gisborne’s money. She was much better off sticking to the crowds in the market.

Tom shut up her thinking by tugging at her hands, to bring her closer to him. She hadn’t even felt him take her hands because she’d been too focused in her own mind but she was swiftly taken out of her thoughts when the surprise of his soft lips attacking her own.

“Tom, what- are – you – doing?” She managed to breathe in between kisses, although it was a struggle as if seemed his lips were glued to her like she was the oxygen in the air he needed to breathe.

“Just shhh,” Tom hummed softly, briefly leaning his forehead against hers in their own bubble, “You’re worrying too much.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, just go with the flow.”

“I’m not sure how to do that,” She confessed. Both had quietened down to a soft whisper, she could hear the mice scurrying in the walls and the sound of men clasping their tankards together down below in the tavern, the soft tipper tapper of footsteps in the market just outside their window. But in this room was just the sound of her heavy heartbeat against his. She’d spent the whole of her life worrying… worrying for her parents, and then her sister and now Tom. She worried for herself, the fear of being caught compelled her to run… but she also wanted to stay how she was… with her and Tom’s heartbeats resting next to one another in a comfortable rhythm. She didn’t want to move.

“Let me show you,” Tom gently placed a hand on her back and flipped her onto the bed. Her back sank into the mattress as it moulded to her. All she could see was his blue eyes glistening back at her, striking her at her very core. It was all she wanted to see.

He bent down and began tracing kisses up her neck, sucking and biting at her skin and she arched backwards as pleasant chills spread down her spine.

“Tom,” Elaine groaned out, not wanting it to end but knowing she couldn’t continue. She didn’t want to tease him when she knew she didn’t want this to go any further, “maybe we should…”

“Stop worrying,” Tom hushed her, traces kissed on her jawline. She reached up and clutched his shirt, still debating whether or not to push him away or pull him closer.

“I’m not sure,” she muttered again as he went back to her neck, slowly travelling downwards as he groped at her breasts, cupping them tightly in his hands and leaving soft kisses along the tenderness of her nipple through the fabric of her tunic. She ached to continue, she wanted nothing more to grab him by his shirt and show him exactly what he meant to her but she wasn’t ready.

Steadily she placed two hands on either side of his shoulders and as carefully as she could she pushed him off.

“Tom, I’m sorry… I just can’t.” she whispered, looking him dead in the eyes. It had been a nice distraction from the guards hunting her down but she needed to go back to reality.

Disappointment flicked across his face as he sat up and hid from her. Turning his back coldly against her.

“Tom…” Elaine hesitantly reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, “I’m sorry, I’m just not ready. Me and you being together is still new to me, let me get used to that first.”

“No, it’s fine – I get it.” Tom shrugged but there was an emptiness to his words and Elaine didn’t quite believe him, and she thought he was talking through gritted teeth, “Just, I wanted tonight to be special.”

“We’ve got loads of nights ahead of us,” Elaine reasoned, sitting up next to him. There was no rush.

Tom sighed and looked away sheepishly, “Not really.”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t know how to tell you,” he began as he refused to meet her eye, “I wanted to go back home. That’s why I suggested stealing from Gisborne. Some’ing big for our last day together as partners in crime. I just wanted our last night to be special too.” Tom confessed, finally looking up at her. His face spotted a blue shine from the full moon as it seeped through the open window. It was memorizing to look at and Elaine focused on the way his lips moved when he talked.

She didn’t understand what he was saying.

“You’re leaving me?”

“I just miss home and Nottingham’s great and all but I’ve got my mother and brother waiting for me at home.”

Clenching her jaw tightly to stop and an outbreak of tears, Elaine sharply stood up. She regretted it instantly when her legs shivered beneath her. It was like the tavern floor was about to cave in and Elaine had no support to keep herself up.

“I get it,” Elaine hissed out, being drawn to the window. She wanted nothing more than to escape right now. She could climb out of the window and run away. It’s what he was doing to her, right? “You miss your family. That’s fine.” She shrugged as if nothing bothered her when the truth was it bothered her a lot.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, it’s all good.” She sucked the air through her clenched teeth, “So tonight’s our last night?”

She couldn’t really be mad, she knew that. He had a right to leave and go see his family. But she couldn’t ignore the burn in her chest that told her to strap him down and keep him there. He was her family. She’d never met anyone like him, and she doubted she would again. Someone who would see her as more than just invisible.

“Yeah,” Tom admitted lowly.

“Right.”

What else was she supposed to say? She felt like they’d already wasted the whole night. There was so much more she wanted to do with him. So much she wanted to say. Should she say it all now and get it off her chest? Or was there little point. She shut her mouth tight, if she tried to clench it closed any tighter, she was scared her jaw would break.

“I got you these,” Tom said from behind her and the springs of the bed was lifted as he stood, grabbing something from his satchel. Elaine didn’t want to look. She was too mad at him for that’ “Elaine.” He called out to her and she shrugged him off until his hands caught her shoulder and forced her to turn.

“What?” She snapped but her eyes caught sight of the beautifully engraved daggers that were held in his hands. Greek symbols were etched into the hilt and red rubies and blue sapphires decorated along the side. The silver of the sword glistened against the moonlight, “For me?”

“Yeah. I bought it with some of that Gisborne money,” he said, “thought it was a nice present.”

“Wow,” entranced by the daggers, Elaine leant over them and carefully took them from Tom’s hand before holding them up. They were beautiful. Perfectly they balanced along her fingertips. She noticed the sharpness of them as she guided a finger down them and was pleasantly surprised to see they actually were newly bought and not stolen.

“Is this a goodbye present?” Elaine enquired, holding the dagger up, wanting to place them in her belt to claim them as her own but knowing what the present meant. She wasn’t sure she wanted them.

“Suppose so… yeah.”

She debated throwing them back in his hands or dropping them out of the window just for dramatic effect but he looked at her so softly, his thumb gently tracing her own, she couldn’t refuse.

“I’ll treasure them forever.”

“Better do, they cost me a lot.” Tom winked. Slowly she felt her legs being guided back to the bed and like a willing prisoner, she followed. Hooked in the trance of his eyes once again.

If this was their last night together, Elaine wanted to show how much he meant to her. She needed him to know, but she wasn’t sure she could get the words out yet. She’d never expected to fall in love, the annoying man who had stolen her purse had also stolen her heart. And he was leaving her, tomorrow. Tonight, was all they had.

“Come on, Elaine, let’s just enjoy tonight. Let’s not regret this time”

Would she regret it if they did nothing? Probably. For a young woman, she surly did have too many regrets. Her parents, her sister, her lifestyle. She wasn’t sure if she could survive adding Tom to that pile.

Elaine didn’t say anything as she slipped out from his hands and guided her hands up to his face instead, gently caressing his cheek. His smirk widened making a spur of butterflies break out in her stomach. Slowly she reached up and met his lips. He responded hungrily, his pace was uneven to hers as he fought for her lips. Overwhelmed, Elaine instinctively kissed back harder, challenging him. Snaking his arms around her, he brought her closer, tightly holding her until she could feel the bulge of his pants rub up against her. Part of her wanted to push away, she wasn’t ready, but she needed to be if she wanted to show him what he meant to her. This was her last chance to show it.

“I’m yours,” Elaine whispered as they finally pulled apart, panting for air, “I’m all yours.”

Elaine felt her legs be lifted and she reached up and wrapped her legs around his waist, straddling him until he walked backwards, carefully dropping her onto the bed.

“You’re so beautiful,” he hummed against her skin, bruising her breasts with kisses. His hands worked hard to unlace the corset around her waist until she was fully exposed to him, “I love you.” He whispered, tracing over her with his lips.

“I love you too,” Elaine breathed, feeling life burn into her veins, “let me come with you, to see your family. I don’t want you to leave.”

“Sure,” Tom replied without focus as he pulled his shirt off and began to work on the belt of his trousers, “Course you can.”

_*~How to tame an Outlaw~*_

The following morning came and Elaine groaned against the sunrise light filtering in through the open window. Usually, she was used to the natural waking up of the forest but the bed willed her to keep her eyes shut for a little while longer.

Reaching out for a source of warmth she found only coldness the other side of her bed. Blinking an eye, she realised the other side of the bed was completely empty other than rumpled sheets and cold air.

“Tom?” Wincing against the light she forced herself to get up, expecting to see Tom sitting on the stall on the other side of the room, but that was empty too, “Tom?” She called out again, louder, hoping the light was just messing with her eyesight and she just wasn’t seeing him.

No response.

She was about to jump out of bed and head downstairs to see if he was simply at the tavern for drinks when she noticed none of their belongings was littered about the floor. Tom was always messy and she would have noticed their satchels casually thrown about the place. Their money pouches were no longer on the cabinet. She leaned over her bed and with a relieved cry she saw her jewelled daggers were still left behind.

But still… everything else was gone.

“You bastard,” Elaine cried, “You fucking bastard.”

Quickly she sat straight. There must be a note… a goodbye note… anything. The bedside cabinet top was empty apart from a dying candle and the rock her mother had once given her for good luck.

Where was her goodbye?

The bed no longer felt comfy. It felt as if she was sinking into it – engulfed by the fumes of natural perfume the tavern bed smelt of – and the once warmness of the sheets made her freeze cold. She flopped back down into it.

Maybe I’m dreaming. If I close my eyes, I’ll wake up again and he’ll be here to say goodbye… or let me come with him. I want to come with him.

Curling into herself, she wasn’t sure how much time she had left in the room. She only paid until sunrise the next day, but she was sure the innkeeper would drag her out of bed when it had been long enough. Part of her wanted to get up and chase after Tom but she had no idea which direction he had gone, or how far ahead he was.

Sudden and swift Anger pulsed in every breath she took. After everything that had happened last night. She had given him her innocence and her whole heart and he had stolen everything without her, left in the middle of the night without saying goodbye. She felt dirty, he had used her. Did he ever want anything from her more than sex?

Tears pooled around her eyes. She could do nothing but cradle herself, wishing the bed still felt warm. Wanting to get up and run away, back to the forest and under the protection of the trees. But she couldn’t find the energy to move

Finally, she opened her eyes, already accepting Tom was gone.

She would grab what little luggage she had and take it back to Sherwood where she could spend the rest of the day crying her problems away.

Just as she was about to force herself up the room door burst open and half a dozen guards swarmed through into the tiny room. Their sword out and ready as if they were about to put down some wild beast. Elaine threw her blankets up as if they were a shield and no sword could penetrate her through it.

“Looks like we found you,” a deep drawn out voice lured over her. Through the holes of the blanket, Elaine saw Sir Guy of Gisborne behind the safety of his men, a lash of a smirk drawn across his smug face and his hands resting on the hilt of his sword that he hadn’t bothered to get out.

“What?” Elaine squeaked, “I haven’t done anything.” She tried, there wasn’t any proof. All of her possessions had been stolen anyway.

“Are you not Elaine Walker?” Gisborne raised an eyebrow. She knew she was already caught.

“No,” Elaine tried again, the twitch in her lips giving her away.

“Sure about that?”

“Ye-ah,” stuttering she cleared her throat to try and collect herself. It didn’t help she was laying partially naked with seven men in a room with her, all pointing the sharp ends of their swords at her.

“Face it, you’ve been betrayed,” Gisborne’s smirk widened and Elaine’s face collapsed. So, Tom had handed her in as well, to collect the reward for her capture. Of course. She had placed all her trust in him and he had thrown it all in her face.

Was she going to be killed now?

“Where’s my money that you stole and we can all part ways.”

“I told you, I’m not Elaine Walker,” Elaine snapped. She wasn’t foolish enough to believe they’d actually let her go if she told them. Anyway, if he’d stolen from her there was a strong chance Tom had already gotten Gisborne’s treasured gold she’d hidden in their stash.

“Still not admitting to it?”

She shook her head, “My names Meghan. Meghan A-dale.”

“Sure it is,” Gisborne rolled his eyes, “Then why was this room signed by an Elaine Walker.”

“Not sure,” Elaine shrugged, trying to remain calm but her heart was beating so fast, pounding blood around her body at an alarming rate. She was sure that any minute now, she would collapse.

“Take her,” Gisborne drulled, ordering his men as three men kept their swords held up whilst the other two stashed them away and pulled out handcuffs from his pocket. Looming closer.

“I’M NOT ELAINE WALKER!” Elaine cried out, wriggling free of her blankets and crashing on the floor. One of the guards lashed, kicking her deep in the stomach. Letting out a groan of pain as she crawled on the floor she found her feet suddenly felt light as someone dragged her up by the arms. The next moment all she knew was her arms were restrained around her back and with the tight click of a lock. She was a prisoner.

“Take her to the dungeons. I’m sure torturing it out of her will be an effective method of getting her to talk.”

As Elaine’s arms were pulled from the room, she tried to grab her mother’s rock that sat idly on the bedside table but her hand brushed over it, knocking it to the floor. The sandy-coloured rock became another pebble on the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elaine is betrayed, tortured and escapes with help from a certain nightwatchman

**Chapter 7**

_January 1188_

She was sitting still but the box of a cell filled her with discomfort. She squirmed until her back was nudged right up against the wall. Perhaps if she sat close enough to the corner, she could melt into it and no one would ever notice her. She could die sheltered by the shadow and remain forgotten.

A twinge in her hand reminded her to keep her eyes open, but the dungeons were so dark she could barely tell if the were open or closed. Looking down, she just about made out the steady trickle of crimson leaking from her hand. She had pounded the stone wall after she'd been chucked in wanting to get out but pure exhaustion had taken over.

Now she was up against the wall, the slime of the wet stone seeped into her dress making it damp and mice squirmed past her. One climbed up onto her dress until Elaine flicked it off, cowering back to the centre where she was back in the light.

Despite the disgust of the walls and the dungeon mice, the most annoying thing was her neighbouring cellmate. He kept singing. It wasn't loud. He was far too old and voice to croaky to sing any louder, but Elaine could still hear the muttering of tavern songs under his breath. Richard the first he sang about – singing about him as if he was some type of God that would save him. The music was like waiting for a dripping sound to end. Every time he took a breath she held her own, but he always continued on the same.

She wasn't sure how long she waited but she was glad for it… the waiting gave her time to think.

She would just tell them there was a mistake. That her name was Meghan A-dale. They couldn't trace it back to her if she simply denied all claims? Why did Tom do this to her? Where was he? Did he mean too? There must have been a mistake…

She'd be able to think better if the stupid singing would stop.

_SHUT UP!_

The jangle of keys stopped her from her thinking. Sir Guy of Gisborne prowled towards her, a twisted smirk slanted across his face and eyes like vulture. Elaine wasted no time and backed up against the wall again. _Perhaps he didn't see me… perhaps he would forget about me_.

"It wasn't me," She whispered. Repeating the words over and over, "My name is Meghan. I didn't do it! _Please_."

She was dragged upwards by two Guards and the lower part of her tunic was lifted revealing her stomach.

"I'm prepared to believe you any minute now," Gisborne pressed further. Elaine's eyes widened at the sight of a burning poker in his hands. The once black end now turned a golden orange, she could smell the heated rust of metal from the opposite side of her cell. When he stopped in front of her the smell was overbearing. "Where is my money?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" a shrill screamed erupted inside the dungeons. It took a moment for her to realise it was her as the poker was pressed against her bare skin. The sharp pins of heat seared and sizzled. Her body wanted to collapse but the Guards held her upright.

"I don't believe you. Shall we try answering that again?"

"Please…" Elaine begged. Beads of sweat dripped across her eyelids. Gisborne was nothing more than a blurry black figure, "I… I don't know."

That was the first time he tortured her. Soon after he left and came back that afternoon and pressed another hot poker to her skin until her stomach was dis-formed.

_I'm Meghan A-dale. I am Meghan A-dale. Meg…maybe if I give in… it'll stop… just give in._

The exhaustion was the worst. It didn't matter how tired she got, the Jailor refused to let her sleep as he pricked and poked her with sharp objects. Mostly Gisborne himself didn't get involved but Elaine's refusal to answer his questions brought out the worst in him.

"You stole the money." It wasn't a question for he already knew, but Elaine eventually answered it with a whimpering yes, willing her endless suffering to reach the finale. She couldn't take it much more. Sick dribbled down her chin and onto her chest. The stench even sent Gisborne out of the room every five minutes, "Where did you hide it then? Or do I have to make this torture worse? I can think of ways... I'll simply come back tomorrow."

"He'll have taken it," Elaine confessed quickly, releasing a painful gasp of air.

"Who would have taken it?"

"He'd have gotten there first," her mind was a mist of fog. There was nothing but dust in her head and endless white noise. Everything he said to her went over her head, all she knew was that he wanted to know where the money was, "The money."

"WHO?"

"Tom. Tom… Tom," It was like a song on his lips. A part of her still expected Tom to come in, and save her. He wouldn't have left her as he did. There was no goodbye.

"Tom A-dale," The blurry figure of Guy of Gisborne focused for a second as she saw the thin of his lips curve up into a smirk. She frowned, wondering how he knew him, "He was the one to hand you in, told us exactly where you were. He seemed very desperate for the money."

"No." She stalled and the pain of the poker suddenly didn't seem important, "He wouldn't do that to me."

Gisborne moved closer so he was only a breath away, "How do you think we found you so quickly?"

"He wouldn't," a meadow of tears formed in her eyes and she bit her lip to try to stop them from spilling, inwardly cursing at the world. _He wouldn't do it. He just wouldn't_ , "But he loved me." She hadn't meant it to say it allowed by the crushing ache in her chest willed her to scream at the world.

"Did he now?" Gisborne sneered, "Don't get all heartbroken on me. Tell me where the money is?"

"You're lying!" Elaine accused, not daring to believe the lies he spread. He was just trying to get in her head. This was another torture method. A much more brutal one.

Gisborne wasted no time shoving the poker on her stomach again and Elaine let out an agonizing roar.

"Please!"

"Tell me then?"

"In the trunk of a tree… it was near Locksley. Just behind the Scarlett's house… there's a patch of trees there and it's in the first one the left. It has a strange dagger marking down the side… Tom marked it so we'd remember which tree," Elaine confessed speaking so quickly she almost ran out of breath. When she was done it was as if her neck gave up on her and her head lolled forward, collapsing against her chest.

"I'll send a group of men there right away," Gisborne pulled away, throwing the iron poker back into the fire where it sizzled, turning a dazzling orange, "And if you're lying to me this will get much, _much_ worse."

She was dragged back to the cell, her feet no longer working. Her bare feet cut across the ice stone floor, blood oozing from them leaving a trail as she went. She hardly cared, not after what she'd just heard. The un-beating ache in her chest made it all seem unimportant

The hours played out into days. She wasn't sure what the time was, all she knew was constant darkness as the candles had all been blown out, leaving a decay of blackness in their smoke.

The singing stranger next to her, whose legs had been broken into a twisted shape, graciously offered her a small piece of his mouldy bread. Though unappetising, she'd certainly eaten worse and the feel of food inside of her once again was too good of an opportunity to dismiss.

"Thanks," She stuttered weakly, not wasting any time to eat it as she stuffed the entire piece in her mouth. He'd stopped singing now.

"You lied to me." Came the sudden gruelling voice of Sir Guy of Gisborne from outside her cell. She choked back the bread, her throat closing dry, "Are we having a feast down here or something?"

" _No_ ," Elaine croaked.

"The money wasn't there. You lied."

"I didn't lie!" Elaine cried, her voice croaked as she wobbly tried to stand up, using the jail walls as support, "Tom must have got there first or you got the wrong tree."

"Me and my men found the tree fine," his eyes narrowed, "I think it's you lying to me. Never mind, I'll get it out of you."

From his pocket, he began to pull a set of keys out. Jingling them as he moved closer and Elaine found her back had hit the stone wall behind her hard.

"Please, I've told you everything I know."

Gisborne fiddled with the set of keys, trying to find the right one to the door when she heard the sound of the lock clicking, she shuffled downwards until she was a ball on the floor.

Maybe she could fight her way out of there… From her cell, she could see her daggers placed sloppily on a table teasing her with escape… all she would need to do was get Gisborne down and reach them… Maybe she could do a surprise attack and catch him when his guard was down.

Gisborne approached her sunk body. She readied herself but her body felt weaker and weaker by the second. She was struggling to stand, the aching burn on her stomach made it difficult to move at all. Could she really take Gisborne down? She hadn't seen much of his fighting but she'd heard of how good he was with a sword. There must have been a reason he was the Sheriff's right-hand man.

"Don't prologue this Walker, it won't end well."

"Sir Guy!" another voice joined the mix. The fair-skinned Lady Marian paced down the stairs, her curly brown hair bouncing behind her, "Are we torturing defenceless women now."

"Marian," Sir Guy's voice flowed softer as he turned slowly to the maiden, "You shouldn't be down here, this is no place for a woman."

"She's down here and she's a woman," Marian raised a challenging eyebrow.

"hardly," Gisborne dreuled, turning his back to her. Elaine shrunk back against the wall, trying to control her breathlessness, "What do you want?"

"That's Elaine walker," Marian said offhandedly and as Elaine moved further away, the Lady Marian moved closer peering through the darkness at her with brown soft eyes. It was a welcoming sight to see such a kind face in such a dreary room. She didn't want to question how Marian knew her; she didn't care. She just wanted to get out.

"How do you know such a low life?"

"You're from Clun, aren't you?" Marian asked softly and Elaine nodded weakly, "Your family died of starvation. My father and I tried sending food to the villages but we were too late. I'm so sorry."

Elaine's lips parted in shock. She was a prisoner, having been tortured as a criminal for stealing from the Sheriff's right-hand man and here she was apologising to her for a death that happened years ago. Her throat dry, she found no words to respond.

"You don't need to apologise to the outlaw, she'll be joining them soon." Gisborne sneered, "what did you want to talk about?"

"it's a matter of importance, one that probably shouldn't be said in front of known _outlaws_ as you call her," She eyed Elaine apologetically.

"You don't need to worry, my lady, these _outlaws_ won't be seeing the light of day again."

Marian's lip twitched with annoyance, "My father was wondering when we'd be able to move our furnishings from the castle to Knighton."

"Isn't this something you should take up with the Sheriff."

"The Sheriff is being… _unhelpful_ ," Marian said distastefully, careful with her words, "and my father… I think he worries for his sentimental belongings to be returned to him. Many of my mother's things are still in this castle."

Elaine was shocked when she looked back at Gisborne and saw a softness in his eyes she hadn't seen before. Even in the dark lit cave of a cell, his eyes shone. Like he was looking at the sunset. Marian didn't seem to notice as she cast another worried look at Elaine. She wasn't sure why she was so concerned, she was a lady, of a completely different class to Elaine. The two had never even met. She had no real reason to be concerned, and Elaine didn't want it. She didn't want the look of pity unless it helped her survive. She doubted there was nothing the old Sheriff's daughter could do to help her now.

She shouldn't have trusted Tom… This was her own fault… She had no one to blame but herself, she should have known the selfishness of others... People were only ever after their own gain. It didn't matter that she loved him, in the end, it made no difference.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, Sir Guy." Marian bowed her head respectfully, not wasting a moment longer but as she reached the dungeon stairs, she glanced once more at Elaine's cell.

Fear struck Elaine in her core as Guy turned back around to her. Was this it then? Was he going to torture her again, or would her end be met? Out of the two she hoped for the latter. She couldn't go through the torture again, the burning sting on her stomach told her so.

"Please…" She whimpered, tears beginning to swim in her eyes,

"Stop you're whimpering," Gisborne groaned, reeling his head back in annoyance, "I've got better things to do than spend more time down here with you. You can spend a final day down here before I get those answers from you."

The cell door clanged shut and when the dark shadow of Sir Gisborne disappeared around the corner, she finally rested her head against the cold wet wall and found her breath. His footsteps echoing away from her.

"You're lucky," the man in the cell next to her said.

"Am I?" Elaine slid down the wall, wincing when her stomach rubbed against her legs, "I don't feel it."

Was she lucky? She was alive. _For now_ … but Gisborne's foreboding threats of torture and execution hardly made her lucky. Tom had abandoned her and handed her in… did she really mean nothing to him? … Her sister was missing, probably dead and it was all her fault. She must be cursed. Whoever she cares about always leaves her.

She brought her legs up to her chest as bubbly tears surfaced. Rocking back and forth, she cradled herself.

"God must hate me,"

"Or he's testing you." The stranger spoke and Elaine refrained from rolling her eyes. _Or_ maybe there was no God. She didn't say this though as she could see the Christian cross dangling from the man's neck. She'd only insult him, and so far, he had been the only person who had been kind to her today.

"it's a bloody long test," Elaine gulped back another bounty of tears, "And what about you?" she turned her head to his broken knees that twisted in a horrible way, "is God testing you too?"

"God is always testing us." He smiled down, admiring the cross across his chest, "I may not be able to walk now but when I do, I'll appreciate it a lot more."

"I thought Gisborne said we'd all be dead soon," Elaine shivered numbly. She wished she had a blanket, something to cover her bare arms and torn clothes. Something.

"Then I will walk with God."

Elaine chose not to respond to the rambling man's rubbish. Hateful that he still had hope. Turning away, she chose to lay on her back, finding it was the least painful way to lay. She closed her eyes and pretended she could see the stars through the leaves of Sherwood forest. They were sometimes the only source of life in the forest, as at night you couldn't see two feet in front of you. The solace in the stars calmed her. Perhaps if she was in a cell with the stars still in reach of her eyes, it would be bearable.

Somewhere in the distance keys jangled. Panic soared in Elaine. If they were keys then Gisborne was back. Elaine's eyes snapped open and she sat up straight. Many of the few dungeon candles had been blown out, leaving an even darker cave before her. She realised some time must have past from when she'd closed her eyes, for the God-believer next to her was now fast asleep.

However, she couldn't see Gisborne in front of her. Instead was a hooded figure, with a mask strapped over their eyes and a cloth covering their mouth.

"Hello?" Elaine's eyes widened. Was she still dreaming?

The hooded figure opened her cell, cringing a little as the cell door creaked loudly as the figure looked over their shoulder in a panic before motioning Elaine to follow.

"Who are you?"

The figure motioned more desperately and Elaine wasted no time pulling herself up. If this was her ticket out of here she wasn't going to stand around asking questions. Well… maybe just one more question.

"You're the Nightwatchman?" She had heard stories of the masked saviour, mostly from Sarah and Jess who had personally seen him. How he came in the middle of the night by horse, carrying food and medicine to those who needed it. At first, Elaine hated the stories. There had been no Nightwatchman to save her mother and father when they died of starvation. But then she saw the way Jess's eyes danced with joy after an evening with a whole meal and full stomach. At least someone had been trying to end the horrible injustice of starvation.

The Nightwatchman gave a curt nod before heading towards the door, Elaine looked back once at the God believer. This was her chance, if she left now she would escape. No one was around to stop her and the Nightwatchman was leaving. Elaine couldn't risk losing him now. The Nightwatchman clearly must have not known the man was there, as he hid silently in the shadows of his cell. Glaring at the metal bars separating her between the stranger she instead dove for her daggers that had been left for the picking. If the man was so insistent that God was the way, he would find his own way out. She needed to put herself and her own survival first. She couldn't take any more torture, she just couldn't and if Gisborne came back now and she'd wasted time trying to save this man then she would surely die.

At least that's how she thought of it.

Stuffing her daggers in her belt she followed the Nightwatchman out, glad to find him just waiting outside the doors, keeping a lookout.

"Why are you helping me?" Elaine asked as the cleared the castle walls. Successfully sneaking about, both equally good at the skill as each other.

The Nightwatchman was silent and Elaine should have figured, all the stories she had heard from Jess never involved the masked figure talking. It was part of the legend. No one had ever heard his voice. She supposed it kept his identity even more of a secret.

A horse was ready and prepared as the Nightwatchman guided Elaine to it. Quickly Elaine did as she was told and climbed on. Feeling the whole situation was kind of bizarre. Why was this hooded stranger helping her? Had she done something significant to deserve to be saved? She didn't think so. She had no one she was close to, who would risk their lives to help her escape. Why was he helping her?

The horse started to move and with final and first words the Nightwatchman spoke, "Good luck."

The voice surprisingly soft and feminine. It was not the voice Elaine had prepared for. Maybe she really as delusional and she wasn't hearing things properly. She looked over her shoulder again to have one last look at the Nightwatchman to confirm her suspicions but found that he was gone.


	8. Chapter 8 (1x02 p.1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Begins at episode 1x01 but carries onto 1x02  
> Elaine meets the Gang. She doesn't give the best first impression, but that's what second impressions are for she supposes.

**_  
Sheriff Got your tongue _ **

_The Year 1192 - April_

She slid easily through the thick crowds, every now and then her hand weaving carefully under people’s cloaks.

“Thank you very much,” Elaine cheered merrily, bouncing the heavy purse in her hand.

She did love execution day. On execution day it meant big crowds all in one area, all focused on one thing and not paying attention to their surroundings. There were gasps at the dead men about to be hung, and heckle and cheer in all the right places. Not paying mind to such trivial things, Elaine was free to go unnoticed in the crowd.

“You’re going to get caught one day,” Sarah eyed the coins in Elaine’s hand as she went to stand next to her oldest friend. She had stolen enough for a weeks’ worth of food. She didn’t need anymore.

“No, I won’t,” winked Elaine, “I’m too good for that.”

She passed a few coins to Sarah’s daughter; Jess, who giggled at the gesture.

“Don’t give her any coins!” Sarah quickly snatched them away from her daughters’ curious hands who threw her hands up about to start a tantrum, “don’t give me that look, Jess, if you got caught with stolen money…”

“How is anyone supposed to know it’s stolen? Money is money, Jess might have just found the coin on the floor.”

“I’m not involving her in this thieving lifestyle you’ve picked up, there’s not even any need for it. I’ve told you so many times you can come live with us.” They spoke in hushed tones, but Sarah still looked wildly around to check if anyone was listening in making them look even more suspicious.

The drums beat as the prisoners were brought out. Elaine swerved to avoid all of the mouldy food thrown at the prisoners.

 _What a waste of food_ , Elaine thought as a potato hit a lanky boy at the front.

“and as I’ve told you a million times…” Elaine said as Lord Locksley took to the steps of Nottingham castle. She had heard he was home from his time away in the Holy Land. She didn’t this up with Sarah, however, as she hadn’t heard from her husband from the war in over a year, “I’d only put you in danger.”

Doubling in beats, the drums played more intensely. Any minute now the boys who were to be hanged would find their feet swept under them.

Sensing Jess tense beside her, Elaine snaked a loving arm around the small girls’ shoulders. The poor girl was only nine, she didn’t need to be seeing such horrors.

Having no choice to look up at the criminals, a deep sinking feeling was caught at the bottom of her gut. Anytime she could be caught for all the pickpocketing she did. No matter how well she mastered the skill… mistakes could always be made… someone could always rat her out. As she stared blankly up at their terrified faces, she realised any day she could be one of them standing there, waiting for her death to come, hoping it was painless and quick.

They looked so young. One of the boys looked no older than seventeen. It’s how old Meghan would be now if she was still alive… no, she didn’t want to think of that.

Trying to repress any thoughts of her dear sister she looked down at Jess who shivered against her side. Sarah was unaware of her daughters detest at the sights, instead, her eyes stayed transfixed on the hangings. She’d always enjoyed the executions as if it was a sport being played.

“Don’t watch,” Elaine whispered down at Jess, kissing the top of her head. She hid into Elaine’s cloak.

“No, she has to watch.”

“ _Sarah_ -”

“She has to know what happens when kids don’t behave,” Sarah’s lips thinned tightly as she pried her daughters head away from Elaine’s open arms, “I won’t have her being up there one day because you were too stupid.”

The Sheriff of Nottingham stood proudly as a crowd of gasps erupted. The executioner had kicked the stools from underneath them. Suddenly the boy’s legs were hanging free.

Elaine had seen The Sheriff of Nottingham’s arrival to the castle. It had been a peaceful affair but the Sheriff’s reign had been anything but that. His rounded face and small stature was nothing impressive, but the fear he reigned was.

This was _his_ fault. The reason for Sarah’s fear and the dangerous risks people took now to survive. Stealing a loaf of bread was on penalty of death. Elaine remembered the days when the punishment was only a day in the stocks. Those were the days when Elaine could roam the streets easily.

“What, like me?” Elaine kept her eyes on the boys as they swung. She dared not stray her gaze. If Sarah was forcing Jess to watch, then she wouldn’t let her do it alone.

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Sarah side-eyed her dangerously, “But I do wish you’d be more careful. That could be you up there.”

“ _You don’t think I don’t know that,_ ” She snapped.

“I’m just concerned – Oh my god!”

Suddenly, a rain of arrows whooshed passed them. Each arrow, in turn, caught the thin rope holding the criminals by their neck. _Snap_. _Snap_. _Snap_. The rope splintered free with the perfectly aimed arrows. The boys fell to the ground and were grabbed around their waists by the crowd helping them escape.

Elaine didn’t help, but grabbed Jess and pulled her into her cloak. Sarah grabbed both of them and pushed them through the crowd. Screams mixed with cries of relief and terror erupted in the courtyard. Guards from all sides run past them but Elaine kept her head down and sheltered Jess from any more arrow showers.

With one last look at the courtyard, she found it was Lord Robin of Locksley who had fired the arrows off, now Guards were aimed at him. _Interesting_. Elaine had heard the stories – how couldn’t she, it was all anyone spoke of lately– how the bold Lord of Locksley had perfect precision with a bow but had returned from the Holy wars scarred from his battle. Apparently, no one had updated him and told him that saving his own peasants from hanging wasn’t allowed, _or_ legal.

“That was Robin of Locksley!” Jess soared with laughter as they returned to Sarah’s home. Sarah was quick to slam the door behind her, looking scared as if arrows could fire through the house at any moment.

“It sure was.”

“Did he save those poor peasants about to be hung?”

“I’m not sure.” Elaine shrugged, looking out the open window to find yet even more guards running past towards the courtyard, “doesn’t look like it yet – but there are so many guards, I don’t know how he’s planning to escape.”

“He fired it so perfectly!” Jess mimicked holding up a bow. She closed one eye and with a concentrated look upon her face, fired it, “it was amazing!”

“That’s enough of that violent make-belief nonsense,” Sarah tutted her daughter upstairs, “That was an incredibly dangerous situation to be in.”

“Just let her live a little Sarah.”

“I’m trying, by not _getting_ her killed,” Sarah huffed, “I can’t believe that just happened.”

“Wonder what brought it on,” Elaine decided to give in to the gossip-mongering for once. Usually, she ignored all the theories as it was pointless to think about such trivial things, but this situation did intrigue her. Perhaps it was because she couldn’t quite believe how Lord Locksley had managed to fire every single arrow perfectly without being killed? How did a once Lord, returned from battle in all his glory, decided to give it all away in just one day to save a few peasants? Surely he would be an outlaw too now?

“Perhaps he didn’t like the Sheriff’s rules,” Sarah shrugged, beginning to bustle around her kitchen to prepare for dinner, “Are you staying for food?”

Even though Elaine’s stomach growled for some food, she couldn’t accept. She knew Sarah was only just surviving with the food they had now that her husband was no longer with them to help provide.

“I made more than enough for a nice evening meal at the tavern.” _Plus,_ a bed… she did love when she got to sleep in a bed.

“I wouldn’t stay in the trip inn if I were you,” Sarah warned, “if those criminals did escape, they’ll be tearing the town apart to find them, the tavern will be one of the first places they look. I don’t want you to be recognised too.”

“Good point,” Elaine sighed, it just meant she’d have to walk to another inn, outside the city gates. The closest one from here was a short walk through Sherwood forest but it was already getting dark and she didn’t think she could stand to stumble through the dark again through Sherwood. The last time she’d done that, she almost fell off a cliff and into a river, “I better leave now then, say goodbye to Jess for me.”

“As long as you’re sure?” Sarah raised an eyebrow, offering again. As she did every time she saw Elaine… which wasn’t often. The woman was much too kind for her own good.

“I’m sure. Have a good dinner.”

“We will.”

Just before Elaine left, she made sure to leave one of the purses she’d collected in Sarah’s coat.

_*~How to tame an Outlaw~*_

Loaded with the rest of her money. It jingled in her pocket as she trampled across the greens of Sherwood forest. Despite the burning itch that spread up her leg from having walked so much today, she kept walking, knowing she would need to beat the dying sun if she wanted to make it to the tavern in time. She’d have thought all the years of walking the same route through the forest would have made her legs strong. Still, she was as weak as ever.

Over the edge of a hillside, she struggled to keep her balance. Voices mixed with the wind in the distance so she stuck around the edges until she could make sense of the words.

“You’re making a mistake!” said a voice.

At the prickle of sound, Elaine darted behind the nearest tree. Cursing her choice of a bright blue cloak that contrasted the thick green of the trees.

Silently, she peered around the tree, careful to keep her cloak tucked around her. Just below her, down a steep hill where leaves scattered the forest plains. They cascaded down like a leaf of waterfalls until it reached the bottom where a much more unpleasant sight welcomed her. Elaine recognised Royston White leading the interrogation of three topless men tied to a tree, behind him was Little John and his other two goons who followed the giant around like lost puppies.

 _Always the bullies_ , Elaine thought, noticing bags of belongings that certainly didn’t belong to Little John and his gang – this was a clear robbery. Little John rifled through the bags, tossing them to the side once he was done, choosing what to take.

“What? You gonna send an army to hunt us down, tear us limb from limb?” Royston White jested, laughing along with the others, “You think we’re frightened of the Sheriff?”

“No,” Little John said simply.

He was a tall beastly man, with a scruffy beard and always wore the same leather cloak that waved around his ankles. A staff that matched his size rested in his hand, meant for intimidation. 

Elaine frowned glumly at Little John’s small gang, hating the lot of them. They had been nothing but a nuisance since she’d join the outlaw life. In only her first weeks, after losing Meghan, she had been approached by the men. They demanded she paid a forest tax as she was in ‘their forest now’. Frightened out of her mind, she paid them to send them on their way.

Since then relentless bullying had ensued. She would do anything to avoid them – jump up trees and chase through rivers – only to keep onto what little money she already had and not to be endlessly teased by men she hardly knew, double the size of her and weapons as large as themselves. She knew whatever money she made on the days she met them; she wouldn’t see again.

At least they were distracted now, Elaine could turn around in the other direction and continue on her way with the money she’d made today.

“No, we are _also_ against the Sheriff,” one of the men tied up whined.

On closer inspection, she recognised Lord Locksley tied up to the tree. He didn’t look the same with his fine clothes and bow at his side, but she hadn’t forgotten his face since the day he offered her coins from his own purse. She looked across at the other two tied up. One she didn’t recognise and the other she swore was supposed to hang today.

Fully intending on leaving, she turned to go.

 _Perhaps I can make more money this way…_ The thought stopped her in her tracks. Mid-spin, she turned back, realising that if these men had just escaped Nottingham, a high price for their capture would be offered? Perhaps even a pardon? Especially for the capture of Robin of Locksley. He was a Lord turned outlaw, after all.

Little John and his gang maybe didn’t recognise who they held captive. Judging by the way they were treating them, she doubted it. Perhaps they had no idea the value they held in their hands… _perhaps_ if she told them, they might let her live in the forest in peace.

The plan formed in her head quick enough that she didn’t have time to think it through. She stepped out of the trees, making herself known.

“Wow. You men seem to have caught a good bunch,” Elaine stepped out, more confidently than she felt.

“ _Walker_ ,” Roy laughed her name as if it were some funny joke, “Come to join the fun, have we?”

“Not exactly, just curious,” she entered the threshold. They stared suspiciously. “just curious because I’ve seen these faces before. You clearly don’t know who you’ve caught.”

“Good for you, now move along or do you want to be tied up next to them?”

“I’m one of you lot!” Elaine snapped, “you don’t need to treat me like an enemy.”

She aimed her words at John who simply rolled his eyes and gestured for one of his men to search her.

“Oh, come on! _Really_!” Elaine growled, “I came down here so peacefully to help you.”

“We don’t want help from amateurs like you, thanks.” Roy stepped forward, much to Elaine’s dismay as he patted her down and found the source of the jingling in her pockets. All the money she’d made today. All that hard work for nothing taken as Roy grabbed it and added it to their growing pile.

“If it’s in this forest it’s ours.”

“ _If it’s in this forest it’s ours_ ,” Elaine mimicked back in a childish voice, “Oh just shut up Roy, none of you is the King of this forest.”

Regretting the whole plan, she remained silent. She wouldn’t tell them who Robin was now that her gold was gone. What was the point?

“What help were you planning on giving us?” Roy asked as if he didn’t just rob her of everything she owned.

“Doesn’t matter now.”

“You said you recognized their faces.”

“Nope,” She said, popping the ‘P’, “I don’t recall saying that- can I go on my way now, seeing as you’ve taken all the money I had.”

John shook his head, “Tie her up with the others. Maybe finally she’ll get the message and get out of our forest.”

“Oh come on!” one of the men tied up exclaimed, “Is that really necessary to tie her up too? She’s a woman-”

“– _seriously_ ,” Elaine groaned as Roy began to pull out some ropes, “and there I was thinking we were such good friends.”

“ _First_ , take off your clothes.”

“Excuse me.”

“I’m not being funny but what are you going to do with women’s clothes, just leave her them.”

Roy dragged her to the only tree remaining. He didn’t tie her up yet, waiting for her to undress for them.

Elaine stared ahead, trying not to look intimidated, “I’m not taking my bloody clothes off if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Leave her, her clothes Roy,” Little John ordered his friend. Roy grinned slyly and complied to John’s request, tying her up next to the others. She’d always hated that idiot, “just take the daggers around her belt.”

Roy’s hand moved for her belt-

“NO!” Elaine struggled. Roy dodged her swinging arms. His hands moved the rope up against her, pinning her down. The rope burnt against her skin as she pulled against it. Swiping it from under her, Roy happily held the jewelled daggers to his eyes and inspected them. “ _Please_! Not my daggers. You can take anything else.”

“We’ve already got everything else.”

“So, you can leave her daggers then,” Robin of Locksley piped up. He’d been strangely quiet during the whole ordeal, “This is all these people have.”

“Those daggers are precious to me, please,” Elaine begged.

“ _Heart-breaking_ , do we care?” they searched the men one more time, finding a hay penny on the topless one but Elaine kept her focus on her dagger as John played around with them before finally shoving them in their satchels. Seething with rage as she hadn’t parted with them daggers in years and all of a sudden felt swift emptiness wrapping around her body as if she was standing there naked.

“Are you a noble?” Robin was asked, a knife pointed at his neck.

“Yes, and no.”

“Does it matter?” Elaine snapped, finally forcing her eyes away from the satchel where her beloved daggers now sat. The tree was uncomfortable to stand up against, the sooner she was away from all these men the better. “Just leave. You’ve got everything from us.”

“How come you got no purse?” they said, ignoring her.

“Because I was no planning on coming to the woods. Is this what you do?”

“Is what, what we do?”

“Stealing willy-nilly?”

“Stealing willy-nilly? I can’t understand what he’s saying. Can you understand what he’s saying?”

“Do you care who you steal from?”

 _No, of course, they don’t_ , Elaine seethed with rage. She was in the same position as them, an outlaw without a penny to her name and yet they still stole from her. Wishing she wasn’t tied up, she’d reach over and strangle Roy to death, and then she’d get her daggers and stab the others in the eye. They had no right stealing from someone who was struggling just as much as them…

She was no better. Didn’t she just spend the whole day stealing from peasants in the crowd? Bowing her head shamefully, she considered the last nine years as an outlaw. It didn’t matter what class or status they were, whether they were struggling or not themselves, Elaine took what she needed to survive. That part of Little John’s gang Elaine could understand. It was the way of life for an outlaw. She couldn’t spite them for what they were doing to her, as she had done it many times in the past to get the next meal on the table.

“My friend here has but a hay penny. This woman has sentimental value to those daggers and you take them from her. What you take from them might be all they have?”

“We don’t care.”

Elaine glared at them, but they left sniggering.

When they were gone, Elaine struggled wiggled her rope against the great oak tree she was tied too.

Having no success she released an anguished sigh, her aggravation was only increased when she noticed Lord Robin swaggering out from under the rope, releasing himself from the bonds.

“Uh-”

“Well, those were horrible men. They would have left us here to die for all they care. If they had not taken our weapons, I would say we should go give them a hiding.” The one-who-never-shut-up (Elaine had decided to call him in her head) hadn’t noticed Robin had already escaped.

Another man, thinner than all the rest and a much younger face with a thin growing moustache appeared from beyond the bushes. He carried an axe above his head but looked much too thin to wield it. He rushed to Elaine and cut her rope first.

“-Thanks?” a shake in her voice as the boy smiled at her before moving onto the next tied man.

If he was here this whole time, why didn’t he save them?

“You!” The one-who-never-shut-up realized Robin had released himself, “You let me think… if you had freed yourself, why did you not fight?”

“Er… I thought it best to wait.”

Elaine wasn’t really sure what to do in front of Robin. Was she supposed to bow? He was a lord after all, or was he an outlaw now? Did he still have titles? Did he expect to be treated with respect? Usually, Elaine hated rich lords, her experience with Sir Guy of Gisborne was enough to know what rich men were like. Quickly, she reminded herself that Robin had let her get away with pickpocketing him. She would never forget.

“Why?”

“Because Much. You were right, we should teach them a lesson. Gentlemen _and_ women-” He threw a stick to each of them, “That wasn’t the best introduction, but I’m Robin of Locksley.”

“ _Of Locksley_?” Elaine raised an eyebrow challengingly, “What I saw at Nottingham definitely dismisses that. You’re an outlaw now… just like us.”

Robin sighed sadly, “And I’d do it again to save their lives,” Robin reached around to Will and gave him a hard pat on the back. “You were in Nottingham? What was an outlaw like yourself doing there?”

Elaine bit her lip, deciding to be honest, “Pick-pocketing.”

“The peasants?”

“Anyone and everyone I can find.”

“That’s a lot of money they took from you.”

“Don’t remind me,” Elaine glowered. That was supposed to last her a week. A _few_ weeks if she managed to stretch it.

“Very well,” Robin began to smile and Elaine noticed he had a boyish charm to him, “Are you with us?”

Observing the men around her; one didn’t have a shirt on, another looked much too thin to be fighting, the one that-never-shut-up was fidgeting as if trying to hide his half-naked body from Elaine - the only woman in the mix - and Lord Robin.

The stick in her hand felt hot and heavy. It was just a normal stick on the ground, she told herself, readjusting her grip but the weight felt too heavy as the others waited for her response. Their eyes like keen hawks. What was she doing here? This wasn’t part of her evening plan…

On instinct, she wanted to drop the stick and turn in the other direction. Nothing good could happen from going with them. She could sneak into Little John’s camp, late one night when they were drunk from over drinking too much ale, and steal her daggers back. _Alone_. As she always did.

But she couldn’t help but deny the advantage of working with Robin and these other outlaws could serve. From what she’d heard, Robin was quite the warrior. She’d seen his bowman work in Nottingham.

“They’ve got my daggers, I’m coming.”

Robin nodded, “I assume you can fight?”

“Of course.” Even still, the stick was much too large for her small hands and she swapped them in between them, trying to work out the best way to hold it. As they walked one of the men must have noticed her struggling as they passed her his stick, which was much thinner and pointier wat the end, reminding her of a small dagger.

“Here,” he offered, “Reckon this one’ll be much better for your tiny hands.”

“Thanks…”

“Names Allan,” he said, giving her a hand to shake. Nervously she took it. There were only four men, but she felt like she was trying to swerve through a large crowd around them, and was suffocating. “That there is Will-” he pointed at the skinny man, “and that’s Much…”

Forcing a smile, she managed a sharp reply, “Elaine.”

“I saw you at the hangings,” Allan continued to Elaine’ s irritation. She wasn’t here for conversation. She wanted her daggers back.

But she had seen him too at the hangings. It was hard to miss when he was the day’s entertainment.

“You were about to be hung and yet somehow you notice me?”

“You were picking pockets,” Allan shrugged.

Allan had longer legs than her and walked at a much faster pace, Elaine doubled her steps to keep up with him, brushing her arm against the bushes as she knocked past them in such haste. Suddenly, she was intrigued by what he had to say.

“How did you notice me?”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I only noticed ‘cause I was on a platform – you were weaving throughout the crowd and kept going back to one spot,” he said, but Elaine still found it unusual that he was about to die and noticed what a stranger was doing down below him.

Wary of Allan, she knocked a step back, noticing their shoulders had been brushing from the tight path they walked along. He was a criminal and was supposed to have hanged only a few hours before. For all she knew, he was a murderer, “What had you done to get yourself in that situation?”

“Well… First I killed one of the Sheriff’s dear.”

“ _Oh_ -“

“Which Robin saved me from.”

“Lord Locksley saved you twice?” Elaine frowned, looking ahead of her where she could see Robin’s head bobbing amongst the trees. He hadn’t spoken much since they’d left, “Are you two friends, then?”

“Nah, never met him before today,” Allan scratched the back of his head as Much turned around to glare at the both of us, “but then after Robin saved me the first time, the guards came back for me and nabbed me. Probably my own fault, should ‘ave ran faster.”

“You got away in the end…”

“Suppose,” Allan shrugged, “So… what was that back there, was that supposed to be like a rescue attempt?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it just seemed you came so willingly down to us. Thought maybe you had a plan to get us out,” Allan said and the other men around her all of a sudden became interested in what she had to say for herself. The attention diverting back to her was the last thing she wanted, and she shrunk a few steps back until she was at the back of the group. She couldn’t tell them she planned on telling Little John who they were, and how much their bounty was worth. “Though I’ll admit, I’m glad it didn’t work out whatever your plan was. Don’t think I could face the humiliation of being saved by a woman.”

Instead of showing her insult at his remark, Elaine gave a forced chuckle to try to lighten the deep weight of shame slowly growing in her chest.

“ _Yeah_ – that was my plan,” her cheeks flamed in colour at her lie. She never did have a very good poker face, “thought I could talk my way out and convince them to let you go. Didn’t go to plan though.”

“No need to lie,” Lord Robin appeared, the boyish grin still plainly on his face as he turned smoothly to face them as if he’d been listening all along. His stick rested behind his head as he balanced his arms on it, “you were planning on handing us in.”

“Excuse me?” Elaine’s eyes widened.

“You said you recognized us,” Robin shrugged casually as if it was obvious, “and then you told them you came down here to help _them_.”

With no point in hiding it, as Robin already knew the truth she bowed her head shamefully to the ground. With each passing second, Robin both impressed and annoyed her more.

“I suppose I _was_ planning on handing you in. Very sorry about that…” Elaine admitted sheepishly, not missing the harsh glare she suddenly received from Much, “I just thought that if I told them who you were, they’d stop trying to bully me out of the forest. Well, you saw… every time I run into them they take whatever I’ve earned.”

“ _Earned?_ ” Robin snorted, “You mean the money you steal from the poorest people in Nottingham.”

Glaring hard at Robin, Elaine stopped dead in her tracks, “don’t mock my way of life. I’ve had to live like this to survive. I don’t like stealing from people to do it.”

“Do you ever think about the people you steal from,” the other boy with the axe spoke. Before now he’d made an effort to walk silently. His skinny figure suggested a quietness about him, but his voice was fuelled with misplaced anger as he spoke, “There are families who depend on that money to survive too. You’re not so different to those outlaws that tied them up”

Something snapped within Elaine. She had seen death. Malnourishment and starvation. She understood it quite well, and she refused to die the same way her parents did. She wished she had her daggers. She’d feel so much safer. Instead, she tightened her grip on the stick. The wood cutting splinters into her hand.

“I am nothing like them!” Elaine snipped. _If only she had her daggers_ , she’d slash him straight across the neck, but Robin held her back, “You don’t think I don’t know that there are people out there starving. I know! My parents were one of them. So, don’t talk to me about surviving!”

 _Use this anger on Little John and Roy. not on them,_ she thought, _once you have your daggers. You need not ever see them again._ She’d be thankful. This spontaneous adventure of hers to once again travel with companions was nothing she expected or wanted.

“You’ll see…” Elaine glowered at Will, “now that you’re an outlaw and have to live with nothing, and I mean properly with _nothing_ … in a few months, you’ll be living the exact same way as I am. As _every_ outlaw does eventually.”

With no more words left for either of them, she turned and sprinted past them into the depths of the forest. The twig of a stick still resting at her side. If it was the only weapon she had, she was going to use it.

Walking in bitter silence, the group that was barely a team found Little John’s gang laughing around a flickering fire. Their newfound treasure littered around them, along with other stolen trinkets. They had just set this new camp up, as one of the men was collecting piles of sticks, whilst the other built up a den to sleep in. Royston White eyed Elaine’s daggers and mimicked her slashing them about but his arms were all flimsy as he waved the dagger around like it was a magic wand.

The five of them split up to surround them. Elaine stepped up onto a steep hill to overlook them. She wasn’t sure how to stand to intimate the group with a bloody stick. She leant casually against it, uncomfortably aware of how awkward she must have looked.

“This is our forest too; I think you’ll find!” Much’s voice echoed across the camp as he stood on a mound and shouted down to Little John’s gang.

“Take your clothes off!”

John his men stood up, realising their position and surrendered immediately.

“Well that was easy,” Elaine cheered, running down towards her daggers whilst the others dealt with tying them up. She snatched them from the ground where the man had dropped them, cradling against her as if they were one of her children.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the movement of a black blur heading towards Robin.

“ _Wait_!” She cried, leaping towards the blur and catching it around the middle. Throwing her entire weight on it, her foot caught the bottom of his coat and the two tumbled down together. The giant wiggled beneath her, screaming out in anguish.

Robin came to help her keep the man pinned down.

“Thank you for that,” Robin nodded at her, smirking as John gave a defeated cry.

Knowing Robin was strong enough to keep John pinned on his own, Elaine stood up and brushed her dress down.

“Don’t mention it,” She said awkwardly not knowing what else to say. Quickly going back over to her daggers and hiding them in her boots before they could be parted with her again. Now all she needed was to find her money and then she could be on her way – _although_ perhaps she didn’t need the money. She could crash at Sarah’s until she made up what she lost. Feeling suffocated by the number of people around her and a need to escape as soon as possible, Elaine turned to face the group.

“Well as fun as this has been. I’ll be off!”

“What just like that and you’re gone?” Allan frowned, “We only just met.”

“What’s your point?”

“You can’t just leave. You’re a part of this now, we’ve got to punish these guys.”

“Look – I’ve got what I came for and I’m not exactly welcome here.”

“That’s not true,” Robin shook his head, “we were quick to judge. You’re right I have no idea what it’s like to be an outlaw in the forest. Perhaps you can stay and show us the ins and outs.”

“I don’t think so.”

She worked alone. _Always_. There was no exception.

Nodding, a hint of sadness in his eyes, “Very well – _here_.” He threw a purse of gold coins her way, which she caught with ease, “Have a good meal tonight on us.”

“Uh, thanks,” Elaine crunched the coins between her fingers, feeling the hard gold dig into her hands. She didn’t feel any better for having the money now on her. Instead, a deep feeling of dread reached her gut as she slowly took a step backwards, not knowing how to respond to such kindness. Even Will smiled at her as she passed him, despite their argument earlier.

She worked alone. She’d always worked alone and it had always worked out quite well for her… now, why was she doubting herself?

 _Just leave_ … she decided before any other thoughts about staying corrupted her mind. In a swirl of thoughts that made her feel dizzy, she rushed out of the clearing. The weight of the purse made her slower as if it was somehow the money was bound to Robin.

_Just go._


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elaine leaves Robin's newly formed team, but will she regret it?

** Chapter 9 **

She didn’t notice when a ripple of noise burst from nowhere and she stumbled into the tavern late that evening. Her burning legs sank to the closest barstool she could find. She paid her money, swallowed two tankards of ale and went upstairs to bed.

Sleep didn’t come easy. The walls were thin, and beside her she could hear two men arguing away about a stolen purse. For once, Elaine had nothing to do with the pickpocketing of gold. She rested another pillow against her ear to drown out the sound but sweltered with heat too quickly. The mattress itself prickled and bumped her back, so she shifted from side to side to try and get comfortable.

When she finally drifted off her dreams consumed of an archer with a bow, beside him was a familiar face… she couldn’t quite recognise it… soon she’d be awake again, growling in frustration that she couldn’t get today’s events from her mind.

Why were Lord Locksley and the others consuming her thoughts? She never desired to have a team. Though if that was true, why did she suddenly feel the pang of a hole inside of her? Had Tom really screwed her this much up that the very thought of trusting someone else was like an impossible decision?

The morning sun hadn’t quite risen when Elaine finally stepped out of bed. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she knew sleep would never come and even when she did she awoke too quickly to appreciate it, her thoughts twisting with regret as if she’d made a bad choice by leaving, wondering what Robin and the others were doing now.

She walked up to the window and rested her arms against it. Sherwood forest was on the horizon. From here it looked like it never ended.

She didn’t wait to stay in her room, despite paying for an extra few hours and instead dashed off, throwing her bags carelessly over her shoulder.

 _Don’t do it, Elaine_ , she said to herself, already marching through the forest back to Little John’s camp, rolling her eyes at her own changeability. The voice in the back of her mind told her she worked alone, _always_. She was being a fool for willingly walking back to them, but somehow, she couldn’t stop herself.

She expected to return to the camp and find Robin, Allan, Much and Will cheering their defeat of Little John’s gang. Carefully, she followed the smoke billowing from the campfire, rising above the trees and was welcomed into the clearing to the smell of honey-coated chicken. However, there was no cheering. Only the sombre silence.

Unsettled as she entered their camp as if each step she took she was about to fall down a hundred-foot hole.

More than five silhouettes sat around the glowing fire. All rope free. She first noticed Royston White’s blonde hair as he threw clumps of bread into his mouth. She didn’t need to see more, knowing if Roy was free, she wouldn’t be welcomed. as quickly as she had come, she turned on the spot, holding tighter to her purse of gold – _SNAP_! With a misplaced step, a twig broke under her foot.

“Elaine!” Allan cheered, getting up to greet her, “You came back.”

“Walker isn’t welcome here,” Roy said instantly, flicking his hand at her as if to shoo her away.

“Robin said she could join us,” Will quipped and Elaine offered him a kind smile but it wasn’t enough to convince Roy.

“Robin isn’t here though, he’s off in some dungeons. We’re in charge.”

Feeling she had enough supporters in the group, she sat down at the end of a log beside Allan. Wary of Roy’s glare following her. Allan offered her a part of his chicken. She’s forgotten to each breakfast at the tavern so accepted it with a small ‘ _thanks’_.

So many questions chased into her mind… where was Robin? What was she doing here? Why were they untied? Where on earth was Robin? She’d only been gone for a few hours.

Before she had the chance to ask all these question racing through her faster than she could speak them all out loud, Will asked her one of his own. “What brought you back?”

That was a good question. One she didn’t know how to answer.

“Why does it matter?” Much hastily paced back and forth. She could see he’d been doing it for quite a while due to the scuffed tracks marked out in the dirt, “We’ve got to do something. We’ve got to go to Nottingham and we’ve got to… _we’ve got to get him out_!”

“No point anyway,” Allan shrugged.

“What happened?” She asked.

“Should have been here,” Roy piped up sharply, “Maybe you’d known.”

“And give you another chance to rob me? No thanks.”

“Nice daggers by the way,” Roy leaned forward. Elaine leant back, “if you give them to me, we’ll let you eat some more chicken.”

“ _Shut up, Roy_!” She blasted at last. Roy looked to Little John, but when John simply shrugged, his lips slammed shut. _Finally._ He wasn’t as tall or loud without the giant there to support him, “Now tell me what happened to Robin?”

Much answered first, “After you unhelpfully left us, the rest of _their_ gang arrived. We were tied up again – which, I might add was completely uncalled for! You tied us up, we tied you up… we had all been equally tied up! They took us to Locksley where the Sheriff was demonstrating on villagers. Unjust. This country… well, I don’t know… it’s _… it’s wrong_! Robin knew it! And he gave himself up, to save their tongues and now he’s going to die if we do not help him!”

Elaine tried to make sense of Much’s ramblings. He spoke so fast, and Elaine wasn’t much used to talking to people at all.

“Are we going to help him?” The word ‘ _we’_ sounding unnatural in her mouth.

A mixture of replies was met.

“ _Yes_!” Much cried. She thought he was going to cry from desperation.

“We probably should!” Will spoke. He hadn’t touched any of the food and was gazing into the fire lost.

“No!” Roy exclaimed. His scowl was far worse than his face.

“We can’t…” Allan said through a mouthful of bread. Breadcrumbs spat everywhere.

“I thought you said he saved you twice?” Elaine challenged, “shouldn’t you repay him?”

He shrugged, “He’s in the dungeon. I’ll only be dying going in there to save him. What’s the point?”

“Elaine, will you help me save him?” Much asked her.

“Nope,” she replied too quickly. If Robin was in the dungeons, there was nothing she could do for him now. She shivered at the thought. Anyway, she’d vowed to never step foot in the dungeons ever again, let alone for someone she’d only just known a day. Robin would just have to… _Robin_ … when had he become Robin and not Lord Locksley?

Much’s desperation hit the breaking point. He charged out of the camp into the early morning blackness, promising to bring Robin back. Elaine could still hear the mumbling under his breath insulting those who stayed sitting behind. She had little hope for him, and even less when Allan muttered, “It’s a suicide mission.”

Reaching for the campfire’s warmth, she tucked her leg under herself.

“You can clear off too,” Roy jeered at Elaine, “the others can stay but I won’t have Walker dragging this gang’s name in the dirt. We don’t accept charity cases.”

“leave off her will you,” Allan said, “startin’ to see why she didn’t want to hang about. Why did you come back anyway?”

She cuddled her legs closer to her, “I wanted to thank Robin.”

“ _Thank_?”

“Years ago, he saved me,” the words tumbled from her mouth and she was no longer in the forest but transported back to the dusty, carriage ridden Nottingham streets. Back when Lord Edward of Knighton was Sheriff. The streets were fuller, colourful banners clung to the edges of houses and children sang in the streets. At the time she ignored the energetic life of Nottingham. She detested it, having just lost her own home and family, but now she could see how wonderful it was, “He was the first person I ever stole money from, and rather than get me arrested he gave me some of his own money and gave me advice. I never thanked him, guess I never will now unless Much succeeds in saving him.”

“He could do,” Allan nodded, despite just having said ‘ _it was a suicide mission_ ’, but she appreciated the attempt to comfort her.

Their conversation was put to a stop when a giant’s shadow hid the flames from them. Little John was akin to a bear with a beastly form and a bushy beard, which was why Elaine was surprised to hear he had a wife and planned on bringing her into the forest. ‘ _A woman can live in the forest same as_ us’, he said to Will who gaped at him.

“Alice can’t live in the forest.”

“Why not?”

“Alice has a child. About seven now.”

“ _Oops_ ,” Allan remarked on the situation, causing a smile to crack open onto Elaine’s face.

John’s face dropped. She didn’t think he could look any more miserable, but his bushy eyebrows arched further downwards and in a split second, he aged another ten years. With no more questions, John scurried off from the camp, his long leather cloak following behind him and Elaine was glad to see him gone. Unlike Royston, John had never been cruel to her, but he had also never _stopped_ his gang members stealing from her. So, she hated him all the same.

The group sitting down by the fire was slowly growing smaller in numbers at an alarming rate.

She shuffled closer to Allan and Will. If it wasn’t for them, she’d have been kicked out by now.

Why was she here again? She couldn’t help but ask as she munched on another chicken leg that Allan had offered to her. With each bite she took, Roy’s glare deepened. Was she truly here just so spite Roy? – No, she had come here for the glamour of being part of a team once again but now Robin was rotting in some dungeons.

She wanted to get up and leave. Once again to escape now before she became too involved, but she couldn’t give Roy the satisfaction of getting up and going when she’d finally got the perfect entry into their camp. She observed their messy camp to see what they owned. _Perhaps_ , before she left, she could steal something of theirs so this little excursion wouldn’t be a waste.

“Think the whiny one will make it?”

“No,” Elaine responded realistically, “Robin’s probably already been hung and if he’s still in the dungeons… well, I imagine he’s getting tortured.” A chill travelled up her spine – _No_ , she didn’t want to think about that.

Will frowned, “What do you know about the dungeons?”

Unwanted memories flashed to the surface. The sweltering heat of the poker. The sizzling as metal met skin. Burning flesh soaking the air. Gisborne. His vulture-like eyes and face moving closer to hers-

Shivering, she snapped her eyes open, “Nothing much, just horror stories I’ve heard.”

Narrowing eyes focused on her. She was sure some of them didn’t believe her. Once again, she was never good at lying, but it was all she was willing to say. Uncomfortable with the spotlight, Elaine looked around for something worth stealing. If she could swipe something without Roy knowing, today would truly not have been a waste. Once she did that, she could be on her way again.

When a conversation turned elsewhere, Elaine snaked off the log and resided in the shadows. She saw a satchel with purses hanging out the edges.

“You could have given Much a horse to travel on.”

“Then we lose a horse too. Think about it.”

Elaine managed to reach around the tree and grab the satchel.

“If Robin dies, the people of Locksley will be just like you,” Will suddenly snapped. The viciousness she’d recognised in his voice before was back again and it was more fuelled than ever.

“What’ch’a mean, ‘Like us’?”

She stalled; her hand barely clasped around the satchel.

“ _Hopeless_ ,” Elaine muttered, reflecting on her inner feelings. A feeling she was well acquainted with but had ignored for years. It was like an old friend. Robin and the others had lit a match within her, a flickering flame of hope that… perhaps, she didn’t have to be so alone.

“Well, you go save him then! See ya!” Roy cried, jumping up, “We don’t do town! We’re outlaws! We’re on the run.”

“Have you seen what happens to a family when there is only one breadwinner, because I have!”

Letting go of the satchel, Elaine made up her mind and turned to stand by Will. Her family died the same way, and it seemed Will’s suffered the same fate too. They had that in common, and if he wanted to save Robin. She would help him.

She didn’t want to feel the weight of no hope anymore.

“ _Heart-breaking_!” Roy exclaimed, “Are you deaf? We don’t go to Nottingham.”

“We _go_ to Nottingham.”

A sudden pounding voice sounded from beyond the trees. They all turned to see Little John, a look of focused determination on his face as he strode through the camp, his gang members jumping up to follow.

Elaine went with them, the unfamiliar feeling of hope returning to her chest.


End file.
